KEHILATH JESHURUN - ShulCloud

The seniors also earned a wonderful record of college acceptances.Our students had impressive admissions numbers in:

Bard BarnardBoston Univ.BrandeisBrownBucknellCarnegie MellonUniv. of Chicago Clark ColumbiaCornellDartmouthEmory Franklin &MarshallG. W. Univ.Goucher HarvardJohns Hopkins

U. of MarylandU. of Mass.McGillMITU. of MichiganNYUNorthwesternOberlin Penn State U. of Penn.U. of PittsburghPrincetonU. of RochesterRutgersSkidmoreSUNY-AlbanySUNY-

Binghamton Syracuse

TuftsVassarWashington U.WesleyanU. of WisconsinYeshiva College/Stern College

(Continued on page 9)

In an historic meeting of theBoards of Trustees of the Congregationand Ramaz - a first in the history of thiscommunity - and an open session for theentire community, a major plan waspresented which will affect the future ofthis community for the next 50 years andbeyond. The plan calls for the demolitionof the Synagogue House and RamazLower School building at 125 East 85thStreet and its replacement by a 10-storySynagogue House and Ramaz Lower

School structure with 18 floors ofcondominium apartments above. Theseapartments, which will be sold by adeveloper who will build the building, willdefray close to half the cost of the newcommunity structure.

The current Synagogue House -as opposed to the main synagogue buildingwhich will remain intact - is over 80-years-old. It no longer serves the needs of avastly expanded congregation or theRamaz Lower School and Early Childhood

Center which need a different kind ofstructure to provide the proper educationfor children in the 21st Century. The newbuilding will provide, among other things,the following:

FOR THE CONGREGATION1.A greatly expanded Chapel and a newBeit Midrash.2.An enlarged social hall.3.A significantly enlarged auditorium formeetings and both

(continued on page 7)

Volume LXXVI, Number 4 July 10, 2007 24 Tammuz 5767

KEHILATH JESHURUNBULLETIN

99 SENIORS ARE GRADUATED FROMTHE JOSEPH H. LOOKSTEIN UPPER SCHOOL OF RAMAZ

57 TO SPEND NEXT YEAR IN ISRAELSENIORS AND LOWER CLASSMEN WIN MANY ACADEMIC HONORS

Once again it has been an amazing year for the students in Ramaz!Here are some of the impressive results:

57 seniors will be spending next year in Israel at the followingTorah institutions and programs:

Women’s SchoolsMachon Maayan

Midreshet HaRovahMidreshetLindenbaum

Midreshet MoriahMMY

Sha’alvim forWomen Tiferet

Men’s ProgramsMachon Lev

Yeshivat EretzHaTzvi

Yeshivat HaKibutzHadati Ein TzurimYeshivat HaKotel

Yeshivat Har Etzion(Gush)

Yeshivat MaaleGilboa

Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh Yeshivat Reishit

Yerushalayim Yeshivat Sha’alvim

Yeshivat Torat Shraga

Co-ed ProgramsBar Ilan University

NativShalemShevet

Tel Aviv University

CELEBRATING OUR 136TH YEAR OF SERVICE

KJ AND RAMAZ PLAN MAJOR BUILDING PROJECT

LOWER SCHOOL AND SYNAGOGUE HOUSETO BE ENTIRELY REBUILT

Page 2 KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN

NEW MEMBERSSeventy-three new households joined the Congregation this past year and wereofficially inducted and welcomed at the 135th Annual Meeting by Dr. DianaHeller Friedman, Financial Secretary of the Congregation:

Shirley AbelBarry & Deborah BergMichael & Marisa BevilacquaMatthew & Yaira Binstock Caroline BornEli & Laurie BrykDaniel J. BurskyVitor & Alexandra CepelowiczKenny & Suri CohenPaul & Emily DauberJack & Phyllis DiamondHarriet EdlesonAvi ErbstAnton & Jessica FeingoldAlbert & Marjorie FortinskyDebbie & David FreedmanSagi & Elana GengerMichael & Naamit Gerber Benjamin & Jennifer GerutDaniel & Michelle GewanterEric & Tamar GoldsteinJohn A.I. & Jacqueli Grossman Mary & Ralph GutHanan HaliliDavid & Victoria HarrisonZeev HechterJoseph & Hedwig HellerIsaac & Rebecca HerschkopfDavid & Aviva Hiltzik Howard & Laurie HorowitzBonnie JacobsonMitchell & Ilana KahnDavid & Stacey KanbarRobert & Ellen KapitoMax & Nina KarpelMartin & Gladys KartinMaurice & Judy Khosh

Jay KitogradRonald Klein

Daniel & Sepi KorenEllen & David Korn

Joanne KruppDavid & Suri LandererSusy & Jonathan LevinElias & Livia Marcovici

Allen & Robye MargoliusDavid Marks

Lori & Michael MehlerLinda Michelson

Nathaniel & Michaela MullerJustin Oberman

Aaron & Chrissie PacklesAlex Pollak

Elliot & Ronit Porter Anna Michelle Propp

Alexandra & Haskel RabbaniBrian & Ayelet Rosen

Samantha & Jonathan RubensteinRami & Rebecca Sasson

Sari ScheinbergMichael & Arlene Schulder Jonathan & Julie Schwartz

Mal & Shirley SerureDaniel & Danielle ShamahLauren & Seth Silberstein

Ezri & Miri SilverDavid & Bonnie SilveraRichard & Paula Smith

Michael & Judy SteinhardtRita Weinberger

Chaim & Anya WiebkeDavid & Jannine Zucker

David & Rebecca Zwillinger

WELCOMEKehilath Jeshurun warmly welcomes the

following new members who joined theCongregation between the 135th AnnualMeeting on April 25th and this Bulletin,which went to press on July 3:

Yardena and David BrickmanVivian and Bernard Falk

Tobette FeinbergLeah and Zev FrankelDyan and Ezra Levy

Odelya Edith PagovichJane and Marc Resnick

KJ SYNAGOGUEMEMBERSHIP:

BE A PART OF THEJEWISH PEOPLE

ContactKJ Executive Director

Leonard Silvermanat 212-774-5680 or

[email protected]

TO JOIN THE KJ ONLINE COMMUNITY,SEND AN E-MAIL WITH YOUR FIRST AND

LAST NAME TO: [email protected] SURE TO VISIT KJ’S WEBSITE

WWW.CKJ.ORG

DEDICATEMembers of the Congregation andothers are invited to honor a friend orrelative, celebrate a milestone event ormemorialize a loved one bydedicating Chumashim or Siddurim.

CHUMASHIM - $45 eachSIDDURIM - $25 each

Contact Eva Erlich at 212-774-5670or [email protected]

KJ Food PantryThe KJ Food Pantry provides kosher food weekly to New York'shungry. Clients are referred to us through the synagogue, and localservice agencies. Each week clients come to KJ to receive foodstaples tailored to their diets, as well as a selection of fresh fruits andvegetables. Ramaz students pack the bags and staff the booth in thelobby of KJ, and Ramaz/KJ members also deliver packages to thosewho are homebound. For further information or to volunteer, pleasecontact Stacy Scheinberg at [email protected]

KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN Page 3

During the summer months, we mournthe destruction of both Temples inJerusalem, which took place on the ninthof Av, and the events that led to theirdestruction. We fast on the seventeenthday of the month of Tammuz, ShivahAssar B’Tammuz, because, according totradition, it was on that day that the enemypenetrated the walls of Jerusalem prior tothe destruction of the Second Temple. TheTalmud, however, writes that these werenot the only tragedies that befell the Jewishpeople on this day. On the seventeenth ofTammuz four more tragedies occurred: thefirst tablets containing the TenCommandments were broken by Mosesafter the sin of the Golden Calf; the dailysacrifice was suspended during the time ofthe First Temple; the wicked Apostumosburned the Torah; and an idol was erectedin the Temple.

Additional tragedies also befell theJewish people on the ninth day of themonth of Av – Tisha B’Av. On this day,the spies (meraglim), returned to the Jewsin the desert with a negative report aboutthe Land of Israel. In addition, it was onthis day that the city of Betar wasdestroyed and tens of thousands of Jewswere killed, and the wicked Turnus Rufusplowed the site of the Temple and itssurroundings. Tradition asserts that theexpulsion of the Jews from England in1290 and the expulsion from Spain in1492 also took place on Tisha B’Av.

Our mourning for the destroyedTemples and for the other calamities which

occurred on these days extends beyond thefasts themselves. The period betweenthese two fasts, traditionally called TheThree Weeks, includes several practices ofmourning. During these three weeks wedo not get our hair cut, attend weddings orinvolve ourselves in large joyousgatherings. During the nine days whichbegin on the first of Av, July 16, andcontinue until midday on the tenth day ofAv, July 25, we are additionally forbiddento eat meat and drink wine (except onShabbat), to go swimming, or bathe forpleasure and to do any laundry or drycleaning that is not absolutely necessary.The Talmud writes that when the month ofAv begins, our mood should reflect ourmourning for the destruction of theTemples. On Tisha B’Av itself, besidesfasting, we are prohibited from washingour bodies, wearing leather shoes,anointing ourselves, and having maritalrelations. It is also forbidden to studyTorah on this day with the exception of thesections of the prophets and the Talmudthat discuss the destruction. We do notwear tefillin until Mincha and the custom isto sit on low chairs like mourners untilmidday. Our observance of mourning alsoforbids us from greeting friends on TishaB’Av.

We mourn the Temples that weredestroyed over nineteen hundred years agoand we pray that we will be worthy to seeGod rebuild the Temple in our lifetime.

SHIVAH ASSAR B’TAMMUZ, TISHA B’AVAND THE THREE WEEKS

JULY 3 – JULY 24

TISHA B’AV SCHEDULEMonday night, July 23

Mincha Services...............................................................................................8:10 PMFast Begins.......................................................................................................8:20 PM

Followed by Ma’ariv and EichaTuesday, July 24

Morning Services.............................................................................................7:00 AMFollowed by Kinot

Shiur by Rabbi Meir Soloveichik....................................................................9:00 AMFim Screening of “Schindler’s List” ............................................................10:00 AM

1993 Academy Award for Best PictureFilm Screening of “The Quarrel”.....................................................................5:15 PM

1990 Winner of Eight International AwardsShiur By Rabbi Haskel Lookstein...................................................................7:00 PMMincha / Maariv...............................................................................................7:55 PMConclusion of Fast...........................................................................................8:58 PM

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Tuesdays, September 4 & 117:00 PM

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At the conclusion of the morning service on the second day of Shavuot, Evelyn Rochlin and Riva Alper were presented by RabbiHaskel Lookstein with the Fifth Annual Judith Kaufman Hurwich Keter Torah Awards. These are their remarks:

Chag Sameach.This is truly a great honor for me. I am

humbled and grateful to be the recipient of theKeter Torah award, and to join the list ofprevious worthy recipients. I am particularlyproud to share this honor with Riva Alper, averitable mitzvah machine. Riva, may you andJoe and Sarah and Joshua continue to energizethe community for many years.

I did not earn this award on my own.Rather, I accept this honor on behalf of myfamily in the spirit of hakarat hatov to the KJ-Ramaz community, which we have beenprivileged to help enrich for almost 43 years.

Pirkei Avot enumerates three Ketarim -three crowns -- and specifies that a fourthcrown, Keter Shem Tov, "oleh al gebaihen," isabove all. So allow me to focus on the KeterShem Tov.

It is particularly significant for me thatthis award is in memory of Judy KaufmanHurwich. Judy and I shared a warm friendshipand a passion for teaching. Judy, theconsummate history teacher, and I oftendiscussed methodologies of teaching history.We strived to excite our students and enrichthe usual rote learning. We both agreed thiscould be done more effectively by engagingthem in the CAUSE -EFFECT- and FLOW ofhistory.

Cause - what influences the distinguishingmarks of a generation.

Effect - the results of these influences onthat generation.

Flow - the impact on the next generation.So, in tribute to Judy's memory, I will

attempt to present a short history of these 43years in the community and analyze the cause,effect, and flow that have resulted in mystanding before you this morning.

Cause I: My Parents' Home.In my parents' home, chesed was a

bedrock of our upbringing. Yes, chesed was acentral theme in our davening. Yes, in schoolwe were taught about the chesed of Hashem toB'nei Yisrael and the chesed of the Avot andImahot. But of greatest impact was the chesedI witnessed in my home; in the relationship ofmy parents to each other, to their friends andin their outreach to their community. Myparents emphasized the importance of a Shem

Tov - a good name. They lived the words oftwo of the greatest statesmen of history, oneancient -- Shlomo Hamelech - and the other oftheir time - Winston Churchill. Shlomo inKohelet teaches "tov shem mishemen tov."Better is a good name than good oil. AndWinston Churchill observed in the same spirit:"We make a living by what we get, but wemake a life by what we give."

My parents and siblings earned their ShemTov and the respect and admiration of theWilliamsburg and Crown Heightscommunities by making these adages theirmantra and passing them on to me. "Evy," mymother would tell me, "whatever you give willcome back kefel kiflayim," a thousand fold.The crown you have bestowed on me with thishonor today is adorned with these values,without which I would not be standing beforeyou.

Cause II: Our Communal Leaders.A second cause of this morning's honor

are the values instilled in me by Rabbi JosephLookstein and Gertrude Lookstein(zichronom livracha) and (yibadlu l'chaim)Rabbi Haskel Lookstein and Audrey. As theprimary chesed role models during my adultyears, the Rabbis Lookstein provided the soil- this community - in which our own familycould plant and nurture these values.

The most sparkling jewel in the crown youare presenting to me today, however, reflectsthe values of my late husband, Martin, whobelieved that you should strive to do all thethings you can to make a beneficial differencefor the community. He was the personificationof -- and I paraphrase Pirkai Avot --"emorharbeh v'aseh harbeh," say a lot, but do a lot.To put it another way, he advocated a hands-on, "tachlis" approach to transforming visionsof chesed into concrete reality. The truth is, Iwas merely the enabler for Martin'sextraordinarily zealous pursuit of chesed. Ilaugh when I reflect on why Martin told me hewanted to live in Manhattan. "Evelyn," hesaid, "in Manhattan we can live in acommunity as small fish in a big pond."Martin never quite remained a small fish evenas our community became an ever biggerpond.

So there we have the causes leading to this

honor: the chesed of my parents, of RabbisJoseph and Haskel Lookstein, of Martin, aswell as that of other role models within the KJfamily who are too numerous to mention. AndI do have in mind the link with the Yom Tovwe are celebrating; for according to MidrashRabah the significance of reading the book ofRuth is to impart to us how great is the rewardfor those who do deeds of chesed.

After CAUSE- the influences andinspirations - we have EFFECT - the resultsgrowing out of cause. For me and my family,the effects were numerous, and they continueto exist and resonate.

During our years here, Martin and Iinfluenced and took part in the flourishing ofthe KJ community with new activities andoutreach. The chevra kadisha becameinvigorated, the bikur cholim program atSloan Kettering became one of thecommunity's hallmarks; a revived men's clubbecame a reality; the Young Marrieds' Clubsurfaced on the scene; and the Succothprogram expanded to become a truecommunal happening. A chavurah programwas initiated that motivated and inspiredmany members to take an active part incommunity activities. The example of homehospitality was followed by many otherfamilies.

One effect stands above all - namely, thehome that Martin and I were privileged toestablish. We were blessed to be able topractice hachnasat orchim in the purest sense.Our home was always open - not only forfriends, but also for strangers, many whohappened to be in the area because ofhospitalized loved ones, who just neededsome warmth and comfort We often were anincubator for ba'alai teshuva, who joined us asthey took their first steps in becomingShomrei Shabbat. Lifelong friendships haveendured from these contacts and encounters.

We did not wait for a chesed opportunityto present itself. Rather, in the tradition ofAbraham, "vayaratz likratam," we chasedafter the opportunity. An example: some yearsago, on a Shavuot afternoon, as we werelooking out the window of our home, then afew blocks from Mount Sinai Hospital, wenoticed a Chasid walking haltingly. He

KETER TORAH AWARD ADDRESS BY EVELYN ROCHLIN

KETER TORAH AWARDS BESTOWED ONEVELYN ROCHLIN AND RIVA ALPER

SHAVUOT II – MAY 24, 2007


It is an honor to be mentioned in the sameparagraph as Judith Kaufman Hurwich, and Iconsider it a privilege to honor her memory inthis way.

Before I begin, I want to offer HakarathaTov to the women who make up the KJSisterhood, and in particular, its Board. Theyare the true crown and the glory of KJ. Thechesed initiatives they have introduced andsupported over the years have bettered us alland I could not be prouder to be one of theirown.

A special Yishar Kochech to my co-honoree Evelyn Rochlin. You are a tough actto follow in so many ways, and it is because ofthe good example you and women like youhave set, that I share this pulpit with youtoday.

I believe we learn what we live. Growingup, whenever my father would ask me to dosomething, no matter how minor, he wouldfrequently preface his words by saying zai azey gut, “if you would be so kind” or “if youwould be so good to do x, y, or z”. I alwaysassociated doing for others as doingsomething good because of that verbal cue.

The fact is that if we hear it enough,eventually our brains can be wired to do good.Why else would we spend so much time asparents urging our children to do the rightthing, teaching them courtesy, andcompassion-- and hopefully practicing itourselves-because they are watching.

There is a song lyric by Steven Sondheimthat says

"Careful the things you sayChildren will listenCareful the things you doChildren will see and learn

Children may not obey, but children willlisten

Children will look to you for which way toturn…

What do you leave to your child whenyou're dead-only whatever you put in its head"

And it's true. The brain that fills our headsand our children's heads is such an interestingorgan. We can't see how it operates-at least notin the way we can see a beating heart or theblink of an eye-but we can tell by a person'sactions-their behavior, their judgment, theirvalues-- that it is working. And that they havelearned.

Like Sondheim's song suggests, there arestudies which indicate that we can programourselves to do good. And there is researchthat demonstrates that we are in fact pre-programmed-to do good. Well, my ownchildhood seems to support this study-andfurthermore, (Pirkei Avot Perek vav, Mishnabet) teaches us that mitzvah goreret mitzvah-one good deed leads to another. Isn't that theway we program ourselves to do good-byperforming one mitzvah, and then another.

Despite the reputation this city-any city-may have for being cold - hearted andinsulating, when a person falls on thesidewalk, don't we all rush to help? When wesee a blind person at a street corner, don't weautomatically ask if they would like helpcrossing? Whenever we confront any kind ofpain and suffering, we react. We have, thankGod, been taught to. Because we listened, andlooked on, and learned.

As this idea percolated in my mind and Iwas thinking about ways on which to expandupon it, I realized that much of the chesed weperform really comes from a mindset. There

is a dual benefit to doing good-it revives andrejuvenates us as individuals, and of course,benefits those we seek to help. But there isanother benefit of doing good deeds-it forcesus out of ourselves and allows us to gain betterunderstanding of the lives of others.

I read an article recently in the ScienceSection of the New York Times in which awoman, a health writer, ironically, learns thatshe has breast cancer. This piece reallyresonated with me because as part of the KJBikur Cholim, I visit people like this writerand observe, in a very small way, some oftheir struggle. On any given Shabbat, KJvolunteers make their way to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital. They offer to makeKiddush or a mi sheberach -- and talk with thepatient if he or she wishes. The degree towhich these visits matter to the patients neverceases to amaze me.

In the article, the afflicted writer grappleswith the age old question of WHY ME. Therewas no history of cancer in her family, nomajor risk factors; she exercised, atehealthfully, had yearly mammograms. And yetall she got from her doctors was "It justhappens. You can do everything right and stillget breast cancer."

As a health writer, she set out to findanswers and spent long hours pouring overarticles in medical journals and still could notfind a satisfactory answer to her questions.And then, not long after her treatment ended,she found herself in an elevator with anotherobvious chemotherapy patient. Theyexchanged medical histories and the writerlearned that the other woman had stage IVovarian cancer.

(Continued on page 6)

KETER TORAH AWARD ADDRESS BY RIVA ALPER

appeared to be overheated and exhausted.Martin immediately ran down to check out thesituation. Of course he brought the man up tothe house. Finding him dehydrated, hungry,and distraught, we calmed our visitor, fed him,and accompanied him to the hospital. As heturned to leave, he thanked us for our time andasked in his broken English, "Could I comeback again? The eats here is good!"

On another occasion, one Erev Shabbat,there was a knock on the door. There stood aman, visibly agitated. "My wife went intolabor," he said excitedly, "but I must go homeand make Shabbat for my girls. Would you sitwith my wife?" And so we did. What a joy itwas for us to call him after Shabbat to tell himthat she had given birth to their first son.

There are many other memories I couldrecount, each one forming an effect by itself.But overall, I think the greatest effect I've

witnessed is seeing the community thrive andnurture all of us, and particularly our nextgeneration - our children, grandchildren,nieces and nephews. For me, there is nogreater joy than seeing Josh and Robin andtheir children, Michael, Samuel and Abigail,Kenny and Debbie and their children,Zachary, Jacob and Daniela, and Surie andBob and their children, Amanda and Jason,carrying on the spirit of chesed, articulated,espoused and exemplified by this communityand everyone within it. My mother was right -I have been rewarded "kiflayim."

CAUSE and EFFECT- the evidence isclear. That leaves one element in today'shistory lesson -FLOW. I can only speculateabout the impact of cause and effect on ourfuture. Will the lessons learned, the examplesset, continue to manifest themselves, to inspireand to teach?

As we know, history does tend to repeatitself. And so, I implore you to find the means,the ways, the enthusiasm, the motivation, thecourage, to build on each act of chesed, tocreate new ones - first fruits, as it were, todayon Chag Habikurim -- that, in flourishing,will strengthen our families, our communityand Klal Yisrael for the present and in thefuture.

I conclude with one of my mother'sfavorite sayings: "the past is history, thepresent is a present, the future is a mystery."Thank you, KJ community, for the past. Thankyou for the present's present. Thank you for afuture that is a lesser mystery, because you arean exceptionally unique community.

Chag Sameach!


They both knew that the prognosis wasn'tgood, but the writer noticed that this womanwasn't grieving. In fact, she seemed happy.How do you do it, the writer asked. How doyou live each day with that hanging over yourhead? The woman replied, 'I treat each day asan adventure, and I refuse to let anything makeme sad, angry, or worried. I live for the day,which is something I never did before. Believeit or not, I'm happier now than before I wasdiagnosed."

This chance meeting led the writer torealize that bad stuff can happen to anybodyand this is what happened to her. AskingWHY ME wouldn't change anything but sheknew that the sooner she let go of the need tofind someone or something to blame, thesooner she would be able to enjoy her life.

The spirit of this woman who was able tofind happiness despite a world-shatteringdiagnosis brought to mind one of my favoritemishnayot in Pirkei Avot (perek daled,mishnah aleph). It contains the words of BenZoma: Aizeh hu asheer, hasameach b'chelko -- Who is wealthy-one who is happy with hisportion. A simple aphorism on the surface, andyet, so difficult to achieve.

It is not difficult for one to be happy withone's life when it is compared with someone'swhose life is less fortunate. We all know thesaying, I cried because I had no shoes, until Imet a man who had no feet." How do youlearn to be happy when your life has sharplimitations?

And then, there's the flip side. We mightthink that one who lacks for nothing, one whohas every material wish imaginable, wouldhave no problem being happy, either-and yetthey are not. They may have a room full oftreasure, but no key to unlock the door.

The key that unlocks the door is theability to be happy with whatever you havebeen given. In our lives, it is the Torah - whosegiving we celebrate today - which imbues ourlives with meaning and which permits us toaspire to-- and fulfill goals and ideals-- whichgives all life value.

It is when we see ourselves and our livesas part of a greater plan that we can be happywith what we have-whatever that may be.

We should not have to wait for somethingterrible to befall us before we realize howvaluable our lives are, and how much we canoffer others. We also learn in Pirkei Avot thatwe should repent the day before we die. Ofcourse, we do not have this information aboutourselves. This is the mishnah's way ofinstructing us to make each day count.

Whether it is sitting at the bedside of aperson fighting cancer, bringing a Shabbatmeal to an elderly, homebound person,recording books for the blind, or sendingwinter clothing to the former residents ofGush Katif - these simple acts bring rewardsmuch greater than the acts themselves.

The payoff is so much greater than whatyou put into it. It's not just for us and thepersonal rewards that acts of chesed maybring: It's for the next generation as well. As Isaid earlier, our children learn by example. Ifwe give back to our community, so will they.

I must state here, however, that there aretimes I look at our Ramaz students and thinkthat we can learn from them as well. Whetherthey are davening outside the Iranian missionin every kind of weather in an effort to callattention to the plight of the Israeli soldierswho were kidnapped last summer, or attendingthe funeral of Professor Liviu Librescu, aHolocaust survivor gunned down while

protecting his class at Virginia Tech lastmonth, they are already giving back.

There are so many ways in which to dochesed. Some require very little time-othersrequire a more substantial commitment. But asLayaliza Soloveichik illustrated so beautifullyon Shabbat T’Lamdeini regarding a spiritualjourney: it begins with small steps. The sameis true with any kind of social action -- fromcivil rights, to standing up for Israel, tofighting poverty, to raising awareness of theperils of abusing our environment.

We live full lives. Our families, our jobs,our children's educations and extracurricularactivities, going to the gym, preparing forShabbat guests. Our responsibilities areendless it seems, and it's easy to think thatthere's just no time for one more addition toour overscheduled lives. But it is possible tomake the time-and I offer my heartfelt thanksto my husband Joe, and my children Sarah andJosh for giving up a little of their time with meso I can give some of my time to others. Ibelieve I am a better wife and mother-a betterperson-for doing so.

Shabbat can come in at 4:00 or 8:00. Andspeaking for myself, I can be busy until thelast minute, regardless of how early or howlate candle lighting is. I sometimes wonder: ifI can be ready by 4:00, why do I need 'till8:00?

We all have these pockets of time. As weconsider the role happiness makes in our lives,the real question is with what will we fill thesepockets? Is it just a good question - or aquestion of good?

Chag Sameach!

KETER TORAH AWARD ADDRESS BY RIVA ALPER (Continued from page 5)

Fun with Bnei Akiva. Our community says “thank you and farewell” to Shelichot Yael Orquin and Chaggit Heinneman, and “welcome” to Shelichot Revital Brownstein and Pirchit Edri.


communal and family celebrations.4.Dedicated spaces for our Beginnersservices and Intermediate services, and forour youth groups.

FOR RAMAZ1.Expanded facilities to provide for alarger Early Childhood Center and LowerSchool.2.Special areas for individualized learningin enrichment and special education. 3.Multipurpose rooms for the differentclasses.4.An enlarged lunchroom area and facultyfacilities.5.An expanded gymnasium facilityequipped for a Lower School but availablealso to the community.

Demolition and construction arescheduled to begin after the close of schoolin June of 2008 and to last approximately two years, with an expectedreopening of the new facility in time forSeptember 2010. During the interveningtwo years the Ramaz Lower School andEarly Childhood Center will relocate to a

former school on East 91st Street, betweenFirst and Second Avenues. It is anappropriate facility which will beenhanced and upgraded prior to occupancyby our community’s children.

This entire project is under theleadership of Steven Gross, a pastChairman of the Ramaz Board of Trusteesand a second generation member of theCongregation. He was the leader in thebuilding of the Middle School six yearsago on the south side of East 85th Street.Spearheading this project together withSteven Gross is Richard Born, a KJ Trusteeand a member of the Executive Committeeof the Ramaz Board, who has providedextraordinary leadership in the MiddleSchool project and now, once again, in thishistoric venture. It will be recalled that itwas Richard who conceived of theexchange of buildings which enabledRamaz to acquire the Middle School site.He has brought the same kind of creativeleadership to both the Congregation andthe School in enabling the School to find a

facility to house it properly during the two-year construction period.

During the period of constructionthe Main Synagogue will continue tooperate normally - except for the summersof 2008 and 2009. The Congregation’soffices will be relocated to the apartmentbuilding on the northwest corner of 85thStreet and Lexington Avenue which liesjust to the east of the construction site.Daily services will be held in the FalkAuditorium of the Gottesman Centerbuilding, across the street from the MainSynagogue.

We are in for some dislocationduring the two years beginning next Junebut, with God’s help and the outstandingleadership of both KJ and Ramaz, alongwith the generosity of the community, wehope to complete the project successfullyand provide strength and inspiration for athriving Modern Orthodox community onthe Upper East Side of Manhattan.

KJ/Ramaz Building Project (Continued from page 1)

KJ MEN’S CLUB FILM SERIESFor The Entire Community

"Home Game"Featuring Producer Avi Abelow

Sunday, September 9, 7:00 pm atCongregation Kehilath Jeshurun

"Home Game" documents the story of graduating 12th graders from theIsraeli Gazan village of Netzer Hazani during their last vacation beforeadulthood. Until then, their ritualized summers of beach, ball and funfocused on the annual local Final Four basketball competition, but their2005 summer vacation turned into something else entirely when theIsraeli government began implementing its plan to remove them fromtheir homes in Gush Katif as part of the Middle East peace process.Instead of just competing on the basketball court, these youngsters soonfind themselves competing on their 'home' court as well.

KJ Annual DinnerSave the Date:Saturday Night

December 8, 2007 at 8:00 pm

Ramaz Upper School60 East 78th Street


The 135th Annual Meeting of theCongregation was held on Wednesdayevening, April 25. An impressive number ofsynagogue members and friends of theCongregation gathered in the HeymanAuditorium for this important event, openingKehilath Jeshurun’s 136th year of service tothe community.

73 NEW MEMBERS INDUCTEDWe were proud to induct into the KJ

family seventy - three new memberhouseholds, comprising 126 people, all ofwhom joined the Congregation since our lastAnnual Meeting in April of 2006. (A listingof the new members appears on page 2 of thisBulletin.)

After hearing the national anthemsbeautifully sung by Cantor Mayer Davis, ournew members observed very movingpresentations for a number of KJ familiesobserving their 50th, 40th and 25thanniversaries of affiliation with us. (A listingof those families appears on page 17 of thisBulletin.) They also saw the Congregationtake care of its business, elect Trustees andOfficers, and saw the Ramaz School hold itsAnnual Meeting with election of Trustees.

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARDRabbi Lookstein awarded Susan and

Scott Shay the “Volunteer of the Year” award,and reviewed Scott’s new book “Getting ourGroove Back: How to Energize AmericanJewry.”

NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTORLeonard Silverman was appointed

Executive Director after serving thecommunity with distinction for the past sixyears as its Administrator.

NINE NEW KJ OFFICERSPresident Eric FeldsteinVice President Surie Sugarman2nd Vice President Robert Kurzweil3rd Vice President Elias BuchwaldSecretary Jacob DoftTreasurer Joel KatzAssistant Treasurer David LobelFinancial Secretary Dr. Diana FriedmanRecording Secretary Riva Alper

TRUSTEESThe following Regular Trustees were

eligible for re-election, and were re-elected:Raanan Agus

Dr. Richard BornArmand Lindenbaum

Irwin Shapiro

Special thanks were relayed to thefollowing Regular Trustees whose termsexpired and who were ineligible for re-election:

Andrew CharlesAbe Esses

Natalio FridmanRobert Schwalbe

Six dedicated members of theCongregation were elected as new RegularTrustees:

Dan BettingerTed Edelman

Dr. Henry KresselMorris MasselAnne Schwartz

Jonathan Wagner

ASSOCIATE TRUSTEES REAPPOINTEDThe following Trustees were reappointed toone-year terms on the Associate Board byPresident Eric Feldstein:

Barry BestJonathan BlinkenAryeh BourkoffSherry CohenEric Gomberg

Nicole GruensteinJonathan Hornblass

Randy KrevatJohn Lieberman

Robin MehlSara ShemiaLee Snow

THREE NEW ASSOCIATE TRUSTEESPresident Feldstein appointed Abby

Doft, Evan Farber and Robert Schwartz to theAssociate Board.

DECEASED MEMBERSWith warmth and sensitivity, Rabbi

Haskel Lookstein paid tribute to sixteenmembers of the Congregation who werecalled to their eternal reward since the 134thAnnual Meeting:

Mildred AvnerRabbi Seymour Brickman

Goody DaneDr. Allen GribetzCharles Guttman

Berl JanowskiToby JosephMiriam Kahn

David KhaghanRobert LeifertUrsula MerkinViviane Paris

Martin Perlberg(Continued on page 17)

50th anniversarian Harriet Kalischer

40th anniversarians Fran and Benjamin Brown

Volunteer of the Year Award Recipients Susan and Scott Shay

50th anniversarian Jean Blumenthal

REFLECTIONS ON THE 135th ANNUAL MEETINGSUSAN AND SCOTT SHAY RECEIVE “VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR” AWARD

We extend a warm Mazal Tov to the following young members of the Congregation who participatedin Advancement Day Exercises as they completed the Ramaz Middle School:

MAY THEY GO HIGHER AND HIGHER

ANDREW ARYEHson of Nancy and Benjamin Aryeh

JONATHAN ASCHERMANson of Drs. Corinne and Jeffrey Ascherman

ERICA BARUCHdaughter of Shira and Dr. Lawrence Baruch

and granddaughter of Audrey and RabbiHaskel Lookstein

AVITAL BENSONdaughter of Ilana and Daniel Benson

JOSHUA BIERMANson of Riva Alper and Joseph Bierman

BENJAMIN BOLNICKson of Dr. Taryn and David Bolnick

SARAH EPSTEINdaughter of Rachel and Dr. Gerald Epstein

SARAH EMMERICHdaughter of Pamela and Adam Emmerich

BENJAMIN FENSTERson of Jan and Dr. Daniel Fenster

JOSHUA GEISLERson of Junko and Dr. Edward Geisler

ALEXANDRA GUTTMANdaughter of Gilda and the late CharlesGuttman and granddaughter of Rachel

Waldman

ZACHARY HERINGson of Michele and Benjamin Hering

CHLOE IFRAHdaughter of Michele and Stephane Ifrah

WILLIAM JEMALson of Jeanne and Samuel Jemal

ADAM JOFFEson of Diane and Ashley Joffe

ALEXANDER KLUGERson of Hon. Judy and Barry Kluger

CAROLINE KOPPELdaughter of Lynette and Steven Koppel

SAMUEL LASSNERson of Mara and James Lassner and

granson of Daniele and Jules Lassner

TALIA LEFKOWITZdaughter of Elena and Jay Lefkowitz

CHANTAL LOWdaughter of Lisa and Nathan Low

AARON LUNZERson of Elisa and Jay Lunzer

SAMUEL MAJORson of Rochelle and Eugene Major and

grandson of Gabriella Major

HENRY MEDINEson of Laura and Mois Medine and

grandson of Haim Medine

GABRIEL MERKINson of Lauren and J. Ezra Merkin

JENNIFER OHEBSHALOMdaughter of Shireen and Alfred Ohebshalom

DANIELLA SAKHAIdaughter of Victoria and Daryosh Sakhai

CARLY SCHEINBERGdaughter of Stacy and Ronald Scheinbergand granddaughter of Sidney Scheinberg

JEREMY SCHWARTZson of Anne and Sam Schwartz and

grandson of Rae and Stanley Gurewitsch

ISAAC SHEINKOPFson of Dr. Debra and Henry Sheinkopf

LENA STEINBERGdaughter of Sharon and Elan Steinberg

MICHAEL STROMERson of Shoshana and Dr. Saul Stromer

DAVID TARNOFSKYson of Sarah and Mark Tarnofsky

ANNA WAGNERdaughter of Phyllis and Jonathan Wagner

RACHELLE YADIDdaughter of Wendy and Rami Yadid


HONORS FOR THE SENIOR CLASS (Continued from Page 1)

ACADEMIC HONORSIn the prestigious National Merit competition, Ramaz students had the

following results: 2 National Merit Winners4 National Merit Finalists14 Letters of Commendation

In addition, students in the Upper and Middle Schools wereresponsible for the following achievements:

Gold Medal recipients of Columbia University’s Scholastic PressAssociation for Parallax, Ramaz’s literary and art magazine.

Silver medal recipients of the Columbia Scholastic Press Associationfor the 2006 yearbook.

AND OUTSIDE OF THE ACADEMIC AREA...Ramaz won many championships this year. The following teams

were champions:College Bowl Girls varsity basketball teamGirls JV volleyball teamBoys JV basketball team1st and 2nd place winners in the Yeshiva League Model Congress1st place winner in the New York Society Library’s Young Writers

Award - Prose Category.Two Honorable Mention Winners in the New York Society Library’s

Young Writers Awards - Poetry Category.Ramaz also made it to the semi-finals in the Mock Trial competition.

Congratulations to all the students, to the faculty, to the parents and to the community on the wonderful record established by the seniorclass of 2007 and many other students in the school. May they continue to bring honor and credit to themselves and their families.


A C A D E M I C H O N O R SCONGREGATION KEHILATH JESHURUN EXTENDS A MAZAL TOV TO.. . .

Brandon Aryeh, son of Nancy andBenjamin Aryeh, upon his graduation fromthe Ramaz Upper School, where he receivedthe Sports Award. He will be attendingEmory in the Fall.

Lara Barak, daughter of Dana and Dr.Jacob Barak, upon her graduation from theRamaz Upper School, as the recipient of theLeonard Friedland Hebrew LanguageMemorial Award. She will be attendingNew York University in the Fall.

Harry Baumgarten, son of FredBaumgarten and Ellen Baumgarten, iscurrently finishing up his first year at TheGeorge Washington University after taking ayear off to learn and volunteer in Israel aspart of Young Judea's "Shalem" program. InIsrael, he served as the gabbai for Shalemand was asked to address PM Ariel Sharonin his office shortly before his debilitatingstroke. In college, Harry has become aleader in the Jewish/Israel community and isinvolved in several on and off campusorganizations, including serving as Presidentof the Hebrew Honors Society.

Jacob Benson, son of Ilana and DanielBenson, upon his graduation from theRamaz Upper School, as the recipient of theEnglish Award and a Finalist of the NationalMerit Scholarship Award. He will study atYeshivat Reishit Yerushalayim next year andwill later attend Harvard.

Jonathan Chetrit, son of Nancy and JosephChetrit, upon his graduation from the RamazUpper School. He will study at YeshivatReishit Yerushalayim next year.

Adam Cohen, son of Myra and Dr. EdmondCohen, upon his graduation from the RamazUpper School, as the recipient of theLeonard Friedland Hebrew LanguageMemorial Award. He will be attending Bardin the Fall.

Andrew Doppelt, grandson of Hannah andEdward Low, upon his graduation from theRamaz Upper School. He will study atShevet next year, followed by Emory.

Sarah Edelsburg, daughter of MonitaBuchwald and Charles Edelsburg andgranddaughter of Elias Buchwald, upon hergraduation, Cum Laude, from GeorgeWashington University.

David Saul Ellenberg, son of Linda Ossadand Robert Ellenberg, graduated fromCornell University with distinction,receiving a BA in Religion. While atCornell, David was co-founder of apluralistic Jewish learning initiative. Beforepursuing his ultimate goal of medical schoolin August 2008, David will study Jewishphilosophy at the Jewish TheologicalSeminary.

Simon Dov Feldman, son of Drs. Pennyand Roy Feldman, on receiving his Ph.D. inMoral Philosophy from Brown University.

Rachel Friedman, daughter of Drs. Dianaand Robert Friedman, and granddaughter ofHedwig and Dr. Joseph Friedman, upon hergraduation from the Ramaz Upper School,as the recipient of the Rifka RosenweinJournalism Award, the Beatrice and MurrayKirschblat Holocaust Awareness Award andthe School Service Award. She will study atTifferet next year and will later attend NewYork University.

Esther Gibofsky (Ramaz '03), daughter ofKaren and Dr. Allan Gibofsky, upon hergraduation from Northwestern. She hasaccepted a position with Google in SanFrancisco.

Rose Goldberg, daughter of Dale and SaulGoldberg, and granddaughter of LiliGoldberg, upon her graduation from theRamaz Upper School, as the recipient of theTzedakah Award. She will attend GeorgeWashington University in the Fall.

Max Grozovsky, grandson of Dr. InnaBakker, is a third grader who has beenaccepted to the National Society for theGifted and Talented and will be attending asummer program at Fairfield University,where he will be taking three courses.

Jessica Kestenbaum, daughter of Ruth andDr. Gerald Kestenbaum, upon hergraduation from the Ramaz Upper School,as the recipient of the David KaganMemorial Award. She will study atMidreshet Lindenbaum next year and laterattend Barnard College.

Samuel 'Sam' Lassner, son of Mara andJames Lassner and grandson of KJ MembersDaniele & Jules Lassner, upon graduatingthe Ramaz Middle School where he was afounder of the R.H.L.M.S. Ramaz RAMSHockey Team. Sam served as team captainin 7th and 8th grade and was the team's all-time leading scorer.

Evan Lieberman, son of Dr. Andrea Thauand John Lieberman, upon his graduationfrom the Ramaz Upper School, as therecipient of the David Franklin MemorialAward. He will study at Machon Lev nextyear and later attend SUNY Binghamton.

Tanya Low, daughter of Carol and JosephLow, and granddaughter of Hannah andEdward Low, upon her graduation from theRamaz Upper School. She will study atShevet next year and later attend the LabInstitute of Merchandising.

Alexander Luxenberg, son of Rhonda andJeffrey Luxenberg, and grandson of AliceSmokler, upon his graduation from theRamaz Upper School, as the recipient of theMorris S. Arfa Keter Shem Tov Award andthe Aron and Leah Swergold MemorialAward. He will study at Yeshivat Hakotelnext year and later attend YeshivaUniversity.

Cal Major, son of Rochelle and EugeneMajor, and grandson of Gabriella Major,upon his graduation from the Ramaz UpperSchool, as the recipient of the Rabbi JosephH. Lookstein Memorial Award. He willstudy at Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi and laterattend the University of Maryland.

Nathan Jacob Marcus, son of Jacquelineand Jeffrey Marcus, upon his graduationfrom the Ramaz Upper School. He willattend Hofstra University in the Fall.


Michelle Marcus, daughter of Jacquelineand Jeffrey Marcus, upon her graduationsumma cum laude from the University ofPennsylvania where she majored inPolitical Science and minored in UrbanEducation and Spanish. She will beteaching at the Park Avenue Synagogue'sEarly Childhood Center in the Fall.

Ian Seth Mark, son of Dr. Vivian andDavid Mark, upon his graduation from theRamaz Upper School. He will attend theUniversity of Michigan in the Fall.

Leandra Medine, daughter of Laura andMois Medine, upon her graduation from theRamaz Upper School. She will attendEugene Lang, New School in the Fall.

Michael Meltzer, son of Marilyn and Dr.Sheldon Muhlbauer, upon his graduationfrom Fordham Law School.

Jesse Mermelstein, grandson of Thelmaand Dr. Larry Steinberg, upon hisgraduation with honors from ZanvylKrieger School of Arts and the ScienceDept. of Cognitive Science at JohnsHopkins University. Jesse plans to spendthis summer studying Spanish and the fallin Israel studying Arabic.

Ariella Messing, daughter of Noemi andDaniel Messing, upon her graduation fromthe Riverdale Country School. She will beattending the University of Pennsylvaniaafter spending next year in Israel.

Ilana Messing, daughter of Noemi andDaniel Messing, upon her graduation fromthe Wharton School of Business at theUniversity of Pennsylvania.

Daniel Ohebshalom, son of Shireen andAlfred Ohebshalom, upon his graduationfrom the Ramaz Upper School, as therecipient of the Jesse Deutsch TefillahAward. He will attend Boston University inthe Fall.

Julian Olidort, son of Nadia and JosephOlidort, upon his graduation from theRamaz Upper School, as the recipient of theLeonard Friedland Hebrew LanguageMemorial Award and the Drs. Gerald andVicki Platt Award. He will attend BrandeisUniversity in the Fall.

Romy Oltuski, daughter of Dr. Ilona andPaul Oltuski, upon her graduation from theRamaz Upper School, as the recipient of theEnglish Award and the Band Award. Sheewill attend Tufts University in the Fall.

Odelya Edith Pagovich, daughter of TaliaPagovich and the late Dr. BenjaminPagovich, upon her graduation from TheSackler School of Medicine. Odelya willbegin her Residency in Internal Medicine atBeth Israel Medical Center in New York.

Gideon Platt, son of Dr. Vicki Deutsch andDr. Gerald Platt, upon his graduation fromthe Ramaz Upper School, as the recipient ofthe Walter Koppel Jewish Political ActionAward and the Drs. Gerald and Vicki PlattAward. He will study at Bar Ilan Universitynext year and later attend New YorkUniversity.

Ophira Platt, daughter of Rivka and Dr.Morris Platt, upon her graduation from theRamaz Upper School, as the recipient of theRabbi Joseph H. Lookstein MemorialAward. She will study at MidreshetHaRovah and later attend Barnard College.

Joshua Ring, son of Louise and FrankRing, upon his graduation with HighHonors from Wesleyan University.

Alexander Rohr, son of Pamela andGeorge Rohr, and the grandson of Helenand Jack Nash, upon his graduation fromthe Ramaz Upper School, as the recipient ofthe Gilda Silverman Memorial Award and aLetter of Commendation. He will attendHarvard University in the Fall.

Adam Rosner, son of Marian and BillRosner, upon graduating in May fromPrinceton University, magna cum laude.

Michal Rubin, daughter of Carolyn andRabbi Eliezer Rubin, upon her graduationfrom the Ramaz Upper School, as therecipient of the Rabbi Joseph H. LooksteinMemorial Award and the Chorus Award.She will attend FIT in the Fall.Rebecca Rubin, daughter of Deborah andSheldon Rubin, upon her graduation fromthe Ramaz Upper School, as the recipient ofthe Chorus Award. She will study at Nativnext year, followed by New YorkUniversity.

Brittany Rumeld, daughter of Elysee andMyron Rumeld and granddaughter ofBrenda and Albert Bernstein, upon hergraduation with honors from the HillelYeshiva in Deal, New Jersey. She will beattending Binghamton University in theFall.

Kelly Schwab, daughter of Ronit andLawrence, upon her graduation fromOberlin College with honors. She will beattending Cardozo Law School in the Fall.

Ariel Shay, daughter of Susan and ScottShay, upon receiving the NationalInterscholastic Swimming CoachesAssociation's Scholar Team Award/SilverLevel, which goes to top performing swimteams who collectively earn academichonors at the same time as beingcompetitive athletes. Ariel is a sophomoreat the American Hebrew Academy.

L.J. Spaet, son of Dr. Margery Kalb, upongraduating from Binghamton Universitywith a degree in Communications andMedia Studies. He served on the Hillel-JSUexecutive board as Vice President ofFinance, as Assistant Sports Editor for theschool paper, as Student AssociationTreasurer and chairman of FinancialCouncil, and as editor of the sports sectionof the yearbook. He also worked as sportsprogramming coordinator for Hillel, had asports marketing internship and worked inthe Student Ambassador program. For hisefforts this year, the University awarded L.J.with the 2007 Paul J. Battaglia MemorialAward as the Outstanding Overall StudentOrganization Leader of the Year.

Lauren Springer, daughter of Dr. BarbaraSandberg and Steven Springer, upon hergraduation from the Ramaz Upper School,as recipient of the Renee Margareten BergerAward for the highest academic average inGeneral Studies, the Gilda SilvermanMemorial Award for her commitment tolearning, the Isaac Rapaport Bible Awardfor her study of Bible and commitment to itsprinciples, the David Franklin MemorialAward for her outstanding work anddedication to the scientific method, and theYearbook Award as Editor-in-Chief of the2007 Yearbook. Lauren is a National MeritScholarship Winner and will be attendingthe University of Pennsylvania in the Fall.


Samantha Springer (Ramaz '02), daughterof Dr. Barbara Sandberg and StevenSpringer, upon her election to the ExecutiveBoard of the Fordham School of LawDispute Resolution Society as SymposiumEditor.

Emanuel and Arianne Storch, son anddaughter of Elana and Dr. Daniel Storch andgrandchildren of Brenda and AlbertBernstein, upon their graduation from gradeschool. Next year they will attend The JessSchwartz Jewish Community High Schoolin Phoenix, Arizona.

Julianna Storch, daughter of Elana and Dr.Daniel Storch and granddaughter of Brendaand Albert Bernstein, upon her graduationwith honors from The Jess Schwartz JewishCommunity High School in Phoenix,Arizona. She will be learning next year atMidreshet Lindenbaum and thereafter willbe attending Barnard College.

Lauren Wagner, daughter of Phyllis andJonathan Wagner, upon her graduation fromthe Ramaz Upper School, as the recipient ofthe Jesse Deutsch Tefillah Award and theChorus Award. She will study at MidreshetLindenbaum next year followed by BarnardCollege.

Grace and David ("Sigi") Weil upon theirgrandson's selection in Israel as one ofseven winners of the coveted RamonEducational Scholarship Award. Named inmemory of Israeli Astronaut Ilan Ramon -one of seven members of the ill-fatedColumbia Space Shuttle mission - theaward is bestowed annually on high schoolseniors who excel at scholarship,personality, volunteerism and leadership.Netanel Weil of Jerusalem's Ramotneighborhood was chosen from among20,000 applicants nationwide, and is thefirst religiously observant recipient in theaward's history. Netanel, along with tripletsiblings Binyamin and Miriam, areproviding their KJ-based grandparents withadditional nachas because they will all soonbe serving the Jewish State; Netanel andBinyamin in I.D.F. Hesder units, andMiriam in a National Service program fordevelopmentally challenged children.

Steven Weinreich, son of Gabrielle andHoward Weinreich, upon his graduationfrom the Frisch School. Steven will beattending the Shalem Program in Israel nextyear and plans to attend the University ofMaryland upon his return.

Gabrielle Wilner, daughter of Judy and Dr.Philip Wilner, upon her graduation from theRamaz Upper School, as the recipient ofthe Morris S. Arfa Keter Shem Tov Award,the Beatrice and Murray KirschblatHolocaust Awareness Award, and a Letter ofCommendation. She will study atMidreshet Lindenbaum in Israel next year,followed by Barnard College.

David Michael Weiss (Ramaz '98), the sonof Barbara and Jerry Weiss, upongraduating Duke University School of Law.

Michael Zimmerman, son of GailSuchman and Dr. Jerald Zimmerman, uponhis graduation from the Ramaz UpperSchool. He will attend the University ofRochester in the Fall.

ACADEMIC HONORS(Continued)

RAMAZ ADMISSIONSShould you have a child who will be of age to enterRamaz in September 2008, or in the fall of 2009,the Admissions Office at Ramaz is open forinquiries. Please call 212-774-8045 to set up anappointment or e-mail [email protected] wishes for a safe and enjoyable summer.

Laurie BilgerDirector of Admissions

THE RAMAZ SCHOOLE-mail: [email protected]

Telephone: 212-774-8045 Fax: 212-774-8067

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KJ/RAMAZ CAMEOUT IN FORCEON MAY 6 FORTHE ANNUALSALUTE TO

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TUESDAYS - JULY 10 & 17THE BOOK OF RUTH7:15 PM - 8:15 PM

Don’t miss the legal and philosophical insights from the story of the Motherof the Messiah.

THE STRUGGLE FOR A JEWISH STATE8:20 PM -9:30 PM

Explore the efforts of Israel’s pioneers to build a state and their lessons forus and Israel today.

WEDNESDAYS - JULY 11-25MORE THAN "JUST SAY NO":

THE IMPERATIVE OF HALAKHA (JEWISH LAW)7:15 PM - 8:15 PM

Jewish people constantly face challenges to which we must respond.Come learn how to deal with the issues of today using the eternalwisdom of the Torah.

STUDIES IN THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION8:20 PM - 9:30 PM

Join us in exploring the profound insights and relevance of our tradition asderived from the weekly parsha through the classical commentaries of thelast 2,500 years.

TUESDAYS - AUGUST 7 & 14MOSHIACH, MOSHIACH, MOSHIACH!

7:15 PM - 8:15 PMWhat does Judaism really say about the Messiah and the Messianic Era?Compare the Jewish view with that of other religions. A perfect post-Tisha B’Av exploration.

HERETICS, SCOUNDRELS & WASTRELS8:20 PM - 9:30 M

Notwithstanding our heroes, Jewish history is replete with people we’drather forget. Explore some of those of whom we are less proud so that wecan learn from their mistakes.

WEDNESDAYS - AUGUST 8 & 15MORE THAN "JUST SAY NO":

THE IMPERATIVE OF HALAKHA (JEWISH LAW)7:15 PM - 8:15 PM

Jewish people constantly face challeneges to which we must respond.Come learn how to deal with the issues of today using the eternalwisdom of the Torah.

STUDIES IN THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION8:20 PM - 9:30 PM

Join us in exploring the profound insights and relevance of our tradition asderived from the weekly parsha through the classical commentaries of thelast 2,500 years.

SUMMER 2007A TASTE OF TORAH AT KJ

Classes with Rabbi Yossi WeiserSenior Faculty Member, Ramaz Upper School

hh

With the wedding season in full swing, we wanted to remind thecommunity that the KJ Chupah is available for use at your specialsimcha. A gorgeous, hand needlepointed piece of art, the KJChupah measures 84" long, by 73" wide, by 90" high, and issupported by four ornately decorated poles. Its floral motif wasdesigned by world renowned needlepoint expert Pauline Fischer,and the actual work was performed by a dedicated group of 28members of the KJ Sisterhood. Originally dedicated at theCongregation's 106th Annual Meeting in April 1978, the KJ

Chupah was recently cleaned and restored to its stunning originalcondition. Once a closely guarded community heirloom that wasonly rarely used, the Executive Committee determined that the KJChupah should enjoy greater exposure and become a part of asmany community weddings as possible. To learn more about howthe KJ Chupah might enhance your simcha, please contact EvaErlich in the Synagogue Office at 212-774-5670 or [email protected]

"MAZAL TOV! WHAT A BEAUTIFUL CHUPAH!"


It was March of 1956. I was nearing thecompletion of my first year in the Rav's shiur.According to the rules, I was eligible to studyChulin the next year and Yoreh Deah thefollowing year and present myself for mysemikha bechina. However, it was exactly atthat time that the Rav announced the three-year plan by which he expected to teach thesenior students for three years: Gitten and itscounterpart in the Shulchan Arukh, HilchotGeirushin; Kiddushin and Hilchot Kiddushin;and then Yoreh Deah along with Chulin. I wasa little older than most of the students becauseI had gone to Columbia College and begun myrabbinic studies later than they did. Could - orshould - I afford the extra year? I went toconsult with Dean Samuel Sar, of blessedmemory, who gave me the best advice I couldpossibly have received. He told me that I hadhad only one year with the Rav at that pointand that Providence had given me anopportunity to have three more years. It wascertainly worth the extra year I would have tospend in the Yeshiva. To this day I am gratefulto Dean Sar. My whole life was differentbecause of his advice.

As a personality, the Rav affected memore than any other human being except formy father. They both modeled for me what itwas to be a learned Jew, devoted to God andcommitted to the Jewish people. To have beenbrought up by one and taught by the other wasa double blessing that has profoundlyinfluenced my life.

I remember the Rav very well as a teacher.How could it be otherwise? Four years, andthen many shiurim and lectures and listeningto tapes and reading the Rav's written works;all of this was entirely transformative for me.I remember vividly when I managed tostruggle through "Ish Ha-Halakha" in theoriginal. It was extremely hard work but it wasalso thrilling. I found myself marveling athow closely his thought, his perceptions, andhis conclusions paralleled my own thinking.Then I remember laughing at myself. It wasn'the who was agreeing with myweltanschauung; it was I whose wholethought process had been molded by him overthe years so that I actually thought these ideaswere mine when I read them in "Ish Ha-Halakha." That's how powerful his influencewas as a Rebbe.

I learned many things from him as ateacher. Among them was his strikingintegrity and his impeccable honesty. Duringmy four years in his shiur I recall three

occasions when a student - it happened to beme in one case - respectfully pointed out to theRav that a whole analysis of his (sometimestwo hours long) was at variance withsomething that we had learned sometimebefore. Think of it: a young studentchallenging the greatest mind of ourgeneration. He could have destroyed thestudent with a look or with a word and easilydefended his position. But he didn't. I can stillhear him saying: "Lookstein is correct; I amincorrect. Do you hear this class?: He iscorrect, I am incorrect. I have to go home andrelearn the whole sugia and present it again."I have no difficulty, when teaching a class, tobe able to say to a student "What a great point!You are absolutely right. I made a mistake." Isaw the greatest teacher of our generation doexactly that three times.

I was fortunate to have had a number ofclose encounters with the Rav which left mewith indelible memories and, in a way, aworld view. Let me cite three of them.

On one occasion, in the early 1980s, Iwent to him with a list of questions that hadbeen bothering me. The first on the list wasthe use of an elevator, operated by a non-Jew,on Shabbat. When I asked him the question helooked at me and said: "What did your fatherdo?" I said that my father lived on the 11thfloor and when he came into his apartmenthouse on Shabbat the doorman knew tooperate the elevator for him. He looked at meagain and said: "So why do you have to bemore religious than your father?" I wasstunned and somewhat embarrassed. I toldhim that I certainly used the elevator in myfather's house and I was not trying to beimpudent by asking the question. I remindedhim that in the year after I received semikha Iused to attend his shiurim on MasechetShabbat and I had actually heard his heter forthe use of an elevator when it's not possibleotherwise (he said above the fifth floor) and itwas for a d'var mitzvah. Under thosecircumstances, since he paskened that theoperation of an elevator was only a rabbinicviolation, it was permissible to ask a non-Jewto operate it for a Jew. I explained that, in viewof the fact that most of the religious worlddoesn't use an elevator, I was just trying tofind out whether he still felt the same way,especially since elevators in the days of theshiur (the 1950s) were manually operatedwhile by 1980 most of them were automatic.He said his views had not changed and that thep'sak remained the same. But in his initial

response to me: "Why do you have to be morereligious than your father?" I heard in onequestion the essence of Dr. HayimSoloveitchik's article on the Mimetic tradition.That's exactly what he was saying to me. Heknew that I grew up in a religious home andhe didn't feel that I had to be more frum thanmy parents.

On another occasion, in the late '70s, I alsowent to him with a series of questions. Afterlistening attentively and answering them, theRav asked me: "Tell me, Chatzkel, how isRamaz?" I understood the question wasmotivated by his being the founder of theMaimonides School in Boston. I told him thatRamaz was doing very nicely. He asked me:"How is your enrollment?" I replied: "Fine,thank God." He pressed further and asked:"Do you have more applicants than you havespaces?" I replied that "Yes, thank God, wehave more applicants than we have places."He then said to me: "That's because youhaven't changed." I was perplexed and askedhim: "Rebbe, what do you mean we haven'tchanged?" He looked at me and said: "Youhaven't moved to the right; don't let them pullyou to the right." Ramaz was always acentrist, Modern Orthodox institution. That'sthe way my father founded it and that's theway it has continued. But those words fromthe Rav gave me further confirmation that wewere on the right track. I have had occasion toquote them many times in my talks to Ramazparents.

A particularly poignant exchange betweenus occurred after I had attended a RabbinicAlumni convention and heard a veryprominent rabbinic scholar discuss the issueof Tay-Sachs testing. That scholar advisedagainst any kind of testing for reasons whichhe explained. Furthermore, he said, once awoman was pregnant there is certainly noreason to test because even if the fetus werefound to have Tay-Sachs disease there isnothing that can be done about it. One may notabort. I was concerned about that approachand, as luck had it, I had been invited to havedinner that evening at the home of a memberof the Rav's family at which the Rav wasgoing to be present. He was scarcely in thedoor when I described to him the view thathad been expressed earlier that day and Iasked him what his opinion was. He said veryfirmly: "You can abort a Tay-Sachs fetusthrough the sixth month." I said nothing but hemust have noticed a quizzical look on my faceas if to say - which, of course, I would not -

“THE RAV: HIS IMPACT ON MY LIFE”BY RABBI HASKEL LOOKSTEIN

PRINTED IN THE YU COMMENTATOR ON MARCH 26, 2007


what was the basis for the p'sak? I will neverforget what he told me. He said: "Chatzkel,did you ever see a Tay-Sachs baby?" I repliedthat I had not. He said: "We had a Tay-Sachsbaby in Boston. I tell you that you can abort aTay-Sachs fetus through the sixth month." Isaw at that moment a gadol in action, decidinga difficult question of Jewish law withabsolute confidence and courage, based uponhis scholarship and experience.

A final recollection. On the occasion ofthe 100th anniversary of the establishment ofCongregation Kehilath Jeshurun, my fatherinvited the Rav to give a public lecture in ourMain Synagogue. Over one thousand peoplesat in rapt attention for more than an hourlistening to the Rav expound on his theory ofcommunity - knesset Yisrael. My father and Iwere sitting in the front row. I was busy, asusual, stenographically transcribing everyword of the Rav so that I would have histhoughts permanently available to me. Whenhe finished his lecture, he said: "Now I wouldlike to say a few words about my friend, RabbiLookstein," referring, of course, to my father.He proceeded to praise my father for hispioneering efforts in Jewish education, inreligious Zionism, in homiletics, and in anumber of other important areas. When he hadfinished his beautiful tribute he looked at meand said: "Chatzkel: You want me to saysomething about you too?" I lowered my headin embarrassment and wished there had been atrap door through which I could disappear.But I will never forget his next words."Chatzkel: your father I respect; you I love." Iknew what he meant and I will forever begrateful to him and to God for those feelings.

We are pleased to announce that our congregation was one ofjust five synagogues nationwide that sold over $2 million dollars inbonds last year. Our own record was broken with the participation of140 families that helped us reach a remarkable $2.4 million in sales.Kudos to our committee members Helen Potaznik, Isaac Sherman andDavid Stonehill for a job well done.

For information regarding Israel Bonds, contact our synagoguerepresentative Robert Lunzer, at 212-446-5835 [email protected]

ISRAEL BONDS SALES FOR 2006 SETS NEW RECORD

PAMELA ROHR ELECTED CHAIR OF RAMAZ BOARDFirst Woman Chair in the School’s 70-Year History

We are proud to announce that our member, Pamela Rohr, waselected Chair of the Ramaz Board of Trustees at its meeting on June 7.Along with her, the following members of the congregation wereelected to office:

Jacob Doft Vice ChairJ. Ezra Merkin Vice ChairWendy Greenbaum SecretaryRaanan Agus Treasurer

We congratulate all of the newly elected officers, but we areparticularly delighted to recognize Pam as Chair because this is the firsttime in the 70-year history of Ramaz that the Chair of the school is awoman. It certainly fits the philosophy of Ramaz since its founding byRabbi Joseph H. Lookstein, of blessed memory, that the school isdesigned to give male and female students the same educationalopportunities.

May all of the officers enjoy their terms of service.

JMICHAEL - MURRAY & STAFF

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1623 Second Ave (between 84th & 85th Sts)New York, NY 10028

KPesach Israel Mission Memorable Moment

Rabbi Lookstein working hard at Project “Job Katif”


SAVE THE DATETova and Norman Bulow

Shabbat Scholar and DinnerNovember 9-10

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin

A distinguished communal Rabbi for over 35years, Rabbi Riskin continues to change theface of Modern Orthodox Jewry in Israel andthe Diaspora. Born in Brooklyn, RabbiRiskin graduated valedictorian, summa cumlaude from Yeshiva University in 1960, wherehe majored in Greek, Latin and Englishliteratures. He received his Smicha from theeminent Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. RabbiRiskin holds a Master's Degree in JewishHistory and was awarded his Ph.D. from NewYork University's department of Near EasternLanguages and Literature.

HIGH HOLY DAY SEATRESERVATIONS NOW DUE

Kehilath Jeshurun will once again be holding High Holy Day services infour locations. In addition to the Main Synagogue, parallel services will beconducted in the Heyman Auditorium and in the Gottesman Center’s FalkAuditorium. The Beginner’s Service will again be held in the LindenbaumRecreation Center, located in the Gottesman Center.

High Holy Day seat reservation cards have already been sent to allcongregants. We ask you to please return the card with your requests assoon as possible, whether or not you plan to be with us this fall.

TWO MODERN MIKVAHSare located in our community at:

419 East 77th Street(between 1st & York Avenues)

Telephone: 212-717-4613and

234 West 74th Street(between Broadway and West End

Avenue)Telephone: 212-579-2011

A HIGH HOLY DAY SERVICEFOR THE NOVICE WORSHIPPER

K Prayers and Rituals ExplainedK Biblical InsightsK Historical OverviewsK Great KiddushK Congregational Readings

and SingingK Over 100 Shofar BlastsK Questions and Answers

Services will be conducted atCongregation Kehilath Jeshurun’s

Gottesman Center114 East 85th Street

(between Park & Lexington Avenues)

Rosh Hashanah morning services willbe held on Thursday and Friday,September 13 and 14th at 8:00 AM. KolNidre services will be held at 6:15 PMon Friday night, September 21stfollowed by Yom Kippur services at9:00 AM the next morning.

For InformationCall:

212-774-5678Tickets only $60

Introducing a Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Servicefor adults with little or no background in Judaism:

LEARN HEBREW IN TIME FOR THE HIGH HOLIDAYS!

Our Crash Course in Hebrew Reading will have you identifyingletters and sounds and give you the basics in time for Rosh Hashanah.Taught by master teacher Sara Rosen, this class is perfect for thosewho have no background or as a review for those who wish to brushup on their skills.

Co-sponsored by the National Jewish Outreach Program

Wednesdays, August 15 - September 19 6:00-8:00 PM

Reminder NoticeKosher wine that is not “Mevushal” isprohibited at events catered by KJ’sexclusive house caterer, Foremost. This ismandated by the kashrut organization thatsupervises Foremost and is not a rule ofForemost’s making. Nevertheless, it is arule that must be strictly enforced,whether at congregation sponsored mealslike Friday night dinners and meals in theKJ Sukkah, or at private simcha meals.Non-Mevushal wine at these events mustbe confiscated.


(Continued from page 8)Hon. George Postel

Morton RubinEleanor Scheinberg

SPECIAL ANNIVERSARIANSTwenty-four households were recognized

for observance of milestone anniversaries ofmembership in Kehilath Jeshurun. RabbiHaskel Lookstein paid fitting tributes to thefollowing members:

FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRANTSJean BlumenthalHarriet Kalischer

FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRANTSFrancine and Benjamin Brown

Karen and Meyer GrossNan and Martin Haber

Yvette and Robert HymanEvelyn MandelkerGloria Mosesson

Laurel and Lawrence RosenbluthFrances and Rabbi Isaac Trainin

Diane WassnerTWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRANTS

Marcia and Arthur BrodyBernard Cohen

Ellen and Samuel DawidowiczNancy and Eli EinbinderRuthe and Heinz Eppler

Rose and Dr. Mark FriedmanKaren and Dr. Allan GibofskyShelley and Martin Kaufman

Elli and Israel Krakowski

Leah and Barrie ModlinSara and Joseph NathansonRebecca and Noah NunbergHelene and Michael Wolff

Steven J. Schacter, Chairman of the Board ofthe Ramaz School, conducted its brief annualmeeting. The only item on the agenda was theNominating Committee Report and theElection of Trustees.

Warm appreciation was extended to threeTrustees who will no longer serve on theRamaz Board:

Joseph LowNathan Kahn

Robert KurzweilThe following Regular Trustees were re-

elected for three-year terms:Raanan Agus

Adam EmmerichDavid GruensteinJerry Kestenbaum

Nathan LowMitchell Presser

The following Alumni Trustee was re-elected for a three-year term:

Ilana BensonThe following Parent Trustees were re-

elected for three-year terms:Mark Fessel

Mitchell SabshonMoshael Strauss

NEW TRUSTEESNew Alumni Trustee:

David StonehillNew Parent Trustees elected were:

Eli BrykFaye Koschitzky

COMMUNITY TRUSTEESThe following were elected as

Community Trustees: Barry Bryer

Eugene FarberDr. Isaac Herschkopf

Robert KapitoMarrick KukinDavid MuschelJeffrey Parker

Vivian ShulmanThe following were re-elected as

Honorary Trustees:Harvey BekerJacob Berman

Fred DistenfeldLillian Eisman

Pearl HackIlan Kaufthal

Rosalie KleinhausBelda Lindenbaum

Gail ProppHoward Rubinstein

RAMAZ SCHOOL MEETING

If you think you know what Hebrew School is...Think again!

Bar/Bat Mitzvah ProgramJewish Holidays,

Traditions & HeritageFamily Learning Experiences One-on-one Hebrew Tutoring

Our Sunday Hebrew School is accepting fall enrollments forchildren entering Kindergarten through Bar or Bat Mitzvah age.Contact 212-794-1592 or [email protected] for more information.

74 West 47th StreetTel. 212-398-7070 Fax: 212-398-7411

FREE DELIVERYMENTION “KJ”

AND RECEIVE A 10% DISCOUNT


A Letter from MemorialSloan-Kettering Cancer

CenterTo become active in KJ Bikur Cholim,

contact Chairman Hon. JeromeHornblass, at

[email protected]

Dear Friends and Neighbors atCongregation Kehilath Jeshurun BikurCholim Society,

Pinpointing an exact 'target' of ourappreciation will be impossible. There aretoo many reasons to be appreciative thathave been generated by too manyindividuals. But the end result to thepatients, families and staff of MemorialSloan - Kettering Cancer Center representssuch great blessing that the thanks must beattempted and appreciation expressed -even if inadequately.

First let me say that I have neverworked with a group of such diligent,respectful and selfless individuals - and Ihave trained and supervised hundreds ofvolunteers in my many years as aDepartment Director for Chaplaincy. Thevolunteers from Kehilath Jeshurun's BikurCholim Society are the best! Togetherthey see hundreds of patients a month -offering simple-but-life-giving services tothose who are hospitalized and thus unableto join other congregants at worship.

These volunteers provide opportunity forsome community to come to the bedside -with a smile, a prayer and a friendly,supportive face. These are healing giftsthat cannot be scripted by physicians orordered from our pharmacy!

In addition to the gift of care andcompassion, these volunteers mustconform to the many rules of this highly-regulated hospital environment. The rulesand regulations imposed on the hospitaland, by default on the volunteers, makespontaneity a challenge. Nevertheless,they manage and the current members ofthe Bikur Cholim Society have set thestandard for other groups with regard topositive-spirited compliance.

Patients at Memorial are surroundedby technology and isolated from most ofwhat is familiar - facing their mostchallenging enemy in a relatively starkenvironment. The "KJ BC" (as it getsabbreviated on my calendar) eases theirfears and brings them comfort, hope,blessing and a sense of home-away-from-home. From a logistical perspective, theirwork is remarkable, given the demands ontheir time and restrictions of the Sabbath;from a spiritual perspective, their visits arevital nourishment for hungry souls.

Some of our patients have commentedabout the visits:

"This beautiful lady came and madeKiddush. It was the highlight of my week- and I didn't even know her. But she was

my friend!""Someone came by today to give me a

flyer. He listened to my fears and when heleft - even though he didn't "do" anything -- I felt so much better!"

"It might be raining outside but thesun shone in here today! Someone cameand spoke to me in Yiddish! Here!Imagine!" (This came from a womanwhose first language was not English, andfor whom hearing Yiddish was such acomfort.)

These are just a few of the responseswe have received to those KJ visitors whomake the rounds each Thursday handingout flyers announcing the option of aShabbat visit and who then come again onShabbat to make the visits. Clearly, thepresence of the Bikur Cholim Volunteersrelieves suffering.

There are no words rich or profoundenough to describe the spiritual, emotionaland existential pain our patients oftenexperience - and likewise no words toexpress our heartfelt gratitude for thosewhose time and love help to mitigate thatsuffering. We could never thank youenough!

Blessings and peace -

Jane A. MatherDirector, Chaplaincy ServicesMemorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

YOM HASHOAHThis year's Yom HaShoah

Commemoration, held in our Main Synagogueon Sunday evening, April 15th, featured aspecial focus on the Jewish Partisans. DuringWorld War II, some 30,000 Jews in Europe,most of them teenagers, male and female,fought against the Nazis as part of an armedresistance. The majority were regular folkswho escaped the ghettos and work camps andjoined organized resistance groups in theforests and urban underground.

The evening, led by Ramaz Junior RachelShnay, featured a short film on this compellingelement of history, a keynote address fromRachel’s cousin and Partisan fighter, FrankBlaichman (pictured at left), and a specialpresentation to other Jewish Partisans inattendance. All who attended were moved bythe program, as well as by choral selectionsperformed by the Ramaz Middle Schoolchorus under the direction of Randi Wartelsky.

CREATEAN

ENDURINGLEGACYPlease consider

participating in theCongregation’sEndowment andPlanned Giving

Program, throughwhich you can

create an enduringlegacy of active

participation in KJ.Contact LeonardSilverman at 212-

774-5680 [email protected] for

information.


THE 135th YEAR OF CONGREGATION KEHILATH JESHURUNA RETROSPECTIVE 2006-2007

SPECIAL SHABBAT PROGRAMSLearners ServiceHashkama MinyanWomen’s Tefilah GroupKesher Young People’s MinyanIntermediate ServiceTeen MinyanSHABBAT SCHOLARS

Professor Moshe HalbertalRabbi Joseph TelushkinDr. David PelcovitzLayaliza Soloveichik

SEUDAH SHLISHITGUEST SPEAKERS

Ramaz Students returning from Poland and IsraelHank SheinkopfRabbi Dov Fendel,Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Hesder in SderotRamaz ACappella GroupRav Binny FreedmanDirector of IsralightEli Beer from Israelife HatzalahRabbi Aryeh LeifertJosh Ross of ORAIsaac PollakHaRav Shaul Feldman, Chief Ravof Bnei Akiva of North AmericaIDF Col. Geva Rapp and Rabbi YoramTurner of Operation “Panim El Panim”

HOLIDAY EVENTSTeshuva Shiur

by Rabbi Hershel SchachterShabbat Shuva Drasha

by Rabbi Meir SoloveichikSukkot MealsPurim Mishloach ManotPurim SeudahShabbat HaGadol Drasha

by Rabbi David FlattoYom Hashoah ProgramYom HaZikaron ProgramYom Ha’Atzmaut Zimriah and ServicesShavuot Dinner & Tikkun Leyl Yom Yerushalayim Services & RooftopBar-b-queMEN’S CLUBKiddush Discussions:

Jews, Genetics, & Geniuswith Rabbi Meir Soloveichik

and Dr. Martin GrumetBorat - Comedy or AntisemiticTragedywith Barry Frohlingerand Dr. Mark MeirowitzThe Evangelical Coup in America’sMilitarywith Michael WeinsteinThe Other War: Israelis, Palestinians& the Struggle for Media Supremacywith Stephanie Guttman

Film Series:The Forgotten Refugeeswith Lesley PattersonThe Journey of Vaan Nguyenwith director Duki DrorPru U’ rvuwith director Shosh ShlamMore Precious Than Pearlswith director Naftali Robert FriedmanThe Last Jews of Libyawith Executive Director Aryeh Bourkoff

Sunday Supper Lecture:The Movement Among Universities &Corportaions to Divest from Financial Holdings in Israel with Alex Joffe

Dr. Stephen Stowe Annual ShabbatonAnnual Sukkah Supper

with special guest Jay ZeidmanYom Hashoah Candle ProjectSponsorship of weekly Seudot ShlishitMonthly Chug IvriSISTERHOODPre-Holiday BoutiquesBook Review by

Rabbi Haskel Lookstein:Everyman by Philip Roth

Cooking Classwith author Sandra Blank

Sephardic Cooking Classwith Yvette Sand Catering

Museum Tours of “AMERICANS IN PARIS”at the Metropolitian Museum of Art“EL GRECO TO PICASSO: TIME, TRUTH,& HISTORY”at the Guggenheim Museum

Ladies Night Out & Lecturewith Chanie Krasnianski at Mike’s Bistro & Domani Restaurant

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

at Carnegie HallGertrude Lookstein Memorial Mother /Daughter / Grandmother TeaProject Ezra LunchAnnual Spring Luncheon and RaffleSponsorship of Weekly KiddushimPreparations of Local Houses of

Mourning & Mourner’s First MealKESHERChallah BakingMenorah MakingShemini Atzeret LunchUncle Moishy ConcertMelave Malka with Rabbi AvrumiProgressive Dinner at Park EastCPR & First Aid SeminarSpring LuncheonKesher New Mom’s BreakfastZoo TourShabbat Meal for New ParentsAM HASEFERIn Their Own Image

with the author Ted MerwinRoosevelt and the Holocaust

with the author Robert BierUp, up, and oy vey! How JewishHistory, Culture, and Values Shaped theComic Book Superhero

with the author Rabbi Simcha Weinstein

Getting our Groove Back: How toEnergize American Jewry

with the author Scott ShayBook Review with author HanochTellerPiano: The Making of a SteinwayConcert Grand

with the author James BarronThe Mystery of the Kaddish and itsProfound Influence on Judaism

with the author Leon CharneyThe Heart Has Reasons: HolocaustRescuers and their Stories of Courage

with the author Mark KlempnerThe U.N. Exposed: How the UnitedNations Sabotages America’s Securityand Fails the World

with the author Eric ShawnGUEST SPEAKERS

Dore GoldWin RobinsMicah D. Halpern

Honorable Tevi D. TroySPECIAL EVENTSPackages sent to soldiers in IraqYachad ShabbatonMitzvah Mall and Blood DriveAnnual Synagogue MeetingPre - Slichot Film “Obsession”Panel Discussion on Mekudeshet

featuring Rabbi Haskel LooksteinAIPAC ConferenceWexner Memorial Lecture with

Professor Robert AumannFink Memorial Lectures

featuring Rav Hershel SchachterOperation L’Hitraot Israel TripsChevra Kadisha Seudah ShlishitKJ Annual DinnerIsrael Bond Shabbat“UJA at KJ” Reception and BriefingBEGINNERSJewish Youth ConnectionHoliday WorkshopsFriday Night Live! Service & DinnersHebrew Reading Crash CoursesNJOP Shabbat Across AmericaRosh Hashanah New Year’s Eve BashSukkah Dinner Under the StarsMelava MalkaIsralight ShabbatonShabbat LunchesPassover SederBasic Judaism Crash CourseCrash Course in Jewish HistoryShabbat OnegJewish Learning InstitutePurim PartyYOUTH ACTIVITIESKick off Barbecue on the roofTot ShabbatBnei Akiva ShabbatonPurim CarnivalFall and Spring ShabbatonimOpen Gym and Movie NightsShabbat morning and afternoon

Youth GroupsBnei Akiva “Snif” Youth Groups Super Bowl PartyChelsea Pier OutingMishnayot Learning

with Rabbi Meir SoloveichikKJBL, KJSL, and KJHL sports leagues

Having a Bar or Bat Mitzvah in 5768?If you are making a Bar or Bat Mitzvah at KJ betweenSeptember 2007 and June 2008, please contact Eva Erlichin the synagogue office at 212-774-5670 or [email protected] reserve specific rooms for your services, celebratorymeals/kiddushes, and other functions. We are bookingsynagogue programming now, and do not want you to beclosed-out from your preferred venues.

SPONSORSHIPS ARE WELCOMETo support synagogue programs, we invite prospective Kiddush &Seudah Shlishit Sponsors to contact Eva Erlich in the synagogueoffice at 212-774-5670 or [email protected] The base cost of a cake-and-wine Kiddush sponsorship is $350, to which is added the cost of anyextra catered food ordered through Foremost Caterers. MultipleKiddush sponsors may, at their discretion and initiative, agree to sharethe expense of extra catered food, but every co-sponsor must pay,separately and individually, the $350 base fee. Similarly, sponsoringSeudah Shlishit costs every co-sponser $250.


Water, water everywhere nor any drop todrink. This saying almost became a scaryreality a few years back when many rabbis inthe world of kashrut began to questionwhether New York City tap water was kosher.For a time, this was all the rage in the YeshivaUniversity beit midrash, with lists ofrabbinically approved water filters posted onthe hallway bulletin boards. While there wererabbis who maintained that our water was, infact, kosher, the question itself surely left itsmark. No longer was water out of the realm ofkashrut scrutiny. Could it really be? Faucetswhich need a mashgiach? Brita filter'sstamped by the OU? For many in the ModernOrthodox world, the idea of trief water wasnot an easy drink to swallow.

I recall this issue because of a veryinteresting interaction I had at the time. I waslistening to a rabbi of the OU speak about thepotential halakhic hazards of H2O, when acolleague sitting next to me, then a doctoralcandidate in biology, remarked: "I've alwayssaid, the day someone tells me water isn'tkosher is the day I'm outta here. I just neverreally thought that day would come. But notkosher water has to be one of the mostridiculous things I've ever heard." I chuckled,but the comment stuck with me. You see, onthe one hand, I could totally relate to hisfrustration. We live in a time where, within ourcommunity, there seems to be a culture ofchumra that at times can seem more self-inflicting than rational. On the other hand, thisissue, as far-out as it seemed to be, wasactually quite rational within the structure ofhalakhic thinking. These concerned rabbiswere not looking to be thieves of thirstquenching, but were concerned when theybecame aware that a certain organism called aCopepod inhabited much of the city's tapwater, and was apparently visible to the nakedeye. It is, of course, prohibited by the mostancient precepts in Jewish law to knowinglyingest any sort of living organism that one cansee.

Now, there was a debate on this issue.What are the standards for something beingvisible? Is the halakhic situation somehowdifferent when it comes to water? But thosequestions all recognize the legitimacy of theissue. My friend, myself, and I think manyothers in the Modern Orthodox community -some with the best academic training from thetop ivy league schools - were offended by thevery notion that water may not be kosher, andwere impatient to listen to any academicexplanation. I often find that, despite investing

5 of the last 9 years of my life to full-timeTorah study, I become easily annoyed by thesuggestion that halakha could actually bemore imposing than I originally thought.

Why is this so? Why do we often find it sodifficult to conceptualize new halakhicreality? The world of Talmudic law is anacademically rigorous discipline, completewith case law, debates on original intent, abasic system of logic, and a forum forinterpretation and implementation byrecognized legal scholars. Why wouldn't wewelcome new halakhic realities as part of theevolving system we have chosen to guide ourlives - even if these realities are sometimes inthe places where we least expect (or wouldlike them to be), like a cup of water?

The criticisms of Modern Orthodoxcommunities have, for a long time, centeredon a perceived lack of concern for rigoroushalakhic observance. I had the uniqueexperience of growing up in a ModernOrthodox home while attending charediyeshivot for much of my early educationalcareer. This came with many advantages anddisadvantages, but it made one issue very clearto me: The yeshiva world is wrong aboutModern Orthodoxy, but not entirely off base intheir critique. The basic issue that sets theModern Orthodox Jew apart from his or her"yeshivish" sibling is the respect andrecognition given to values and ethics thatexist outside the world of halakha. The pursuitof happiness, equal protection for men andwomen under the law, civil rights, patriotism,all represent values that are woven into thefabric of the Modern Orthodox Jew in thesame stitch as kashrut and Shabbat and tifilin.However, while it is one thing to wax poeticon the symbiosis of the sacred and secular, it isquite another to handle the resulting conflictsof values. In a perfect world, we value bothethics equally. In the real world, we gravitatetoward the ethic which strikes a chord in ourconscience as just being right. And, as weknow, that is not always the halakhic ethic.

And that's ok. I am proud to say that as aModern Orthodox Jew, I am dedicated to aprogressive approach in halakha, while beingmeticulously careful to maintain the system'sintegrity. If we are going to be progressive,something must be pushing thatprogressivism. Maybe it is the agunah who hasnot found equal protection in the halakhicsystem, or the potential convert who has his orher freedom of individual choice curtailed. Itis these external ethics which strike a chord inour collective conscience and push our

scholars toward more progressive thinking.But when we become dismissive of halakha,of rabbinical concerns and decisions, we areneutralizing the power of progressivism andresting in the comfort of resolution. RabbiAbraham Joshua Heshel warned: "Vitallyimportant as it is for Judaism to reach out intonon-Jewish cultures in order to absorbelements which it may use for enrichment ofits life and thought, it must not be done at theprice of giving up its intellectual integrity. Wemust remember that the attempt to find asynthesis of prophetic thinking and Greekmeta-physics, desirable as it may be in aparticular historic situation, is not necessarilyvalid…" Jerusalem and Athens may have beengeographically close, but spiritually, they wereand remain worlds apart.

Something still isn't right. Kosher water? Imean, seriously, how ridiculous does thatsound? Or maybe it's another issue in halakhathat we just don't want to explore all thatcarefully, something that just seems a little bitridiculous, makes us a little uncomfortable.

So we need to ask ourselves, what is reallygoing on here? What about halakha makes usuncomfortable, annoyed, sometimesdismissive? I think the answer lies in a verydifficult place to go - in the basic assumptionupon which all of halakha rests - in our faith -in the very nature of what we believe and howwe've gotten there. Every halakhic ruling,each maskana in the Gemara, has with it,roughly, three basic assumptions, each ofwhich is layered with intellectual andemotional depth. These assumptions are: 1- abelief in God; 2- a belief that God revealed aset of obligations and ethics to the Jewishpeople; and 3- a belief in the authenticity ofthe oral law and its mesora (the lineage ofrabbis dating back to Moses at Sinai). Whenwe put on tifilin each morning, wash ourhands before bread, make Kiddush on Fridaynight, we are taking for granted these threevery weighty beliefs. Don't we owe it toourselves to talk about them? Do we, in fact,believe them? If we embrace the idea thatModern Orthodoxy is built on a progressivehalakha born of conflicting value sets, wemust be confident in the core assumptions ofeach value set. If we believe in some notion ofthe American ideal, in democracy, capitalism,or any of the basic cultural assumptions ofwestern thinking, we must also believe inGod, in revelation, and in the oral tradition.Writes Rav Lichtenstein: "If we take seriouslythe idea of revelation - and of halakha as itsexplication - we cannot look for ways of

“WHY WE NEED TO SPEAK FRANKLY ABOUT OUR FAITH”A SERMON DELIVERED BY HILLEL RAPP ON JUNE 16, 2007


transcending [halakha]." We must confront it.Alternatively, if we see our Judaism as simplya set of cultural norms or traditional practiceswhich fall in our comfort zone, those issueswill always be pushed aside for an ethicalnorm or societal value that makes us morecomfortable. If kashrut is just a tradition weare comfortable with so long as we live inNew York City, when we leave the city, andthe tradition and comfort are gone, what keepsus kosher? It is when we see our Judaism as itsown authentic system of rules and ethics, thatit is raised to the level of conflict and cancontend with the best of society's ethics, vyingfor our intellectual attention and begging ourinterpretation and extrapolation.

But we don't really talk about faith. Thepulpit preaches greater observance; the chalkboard checks to see that each student knowsthe hava-amina and maskana. But what aboutthe premise which precedes halakha and ispresupposed by the Gemara? What aboutfaith?

While faith may have escaped ourattention, it has not been overlooked by ourscholars. So much has been written for theworld of Modern Orthodoxy on this veryissue. From Heshel to Buber to Berkowitz tothe Rav, and even to Wyschgrod orLichtenstein or Liebowitz, there is ampleacademic material to discuss and dissect, toshare and sharpen, to enable and to inspire.The problem is that, for the most part, we havenot done that. We've left these books in theirraw, often esoteric, and always academic,form. They are accessible mostly to thosepredisposed toward philosophy, a generalreader of academia, a motivated high schoolstudent looking for a senior elective, or anintellectually curious college student willingto take time from his or her major. That'sreally not enough exposure for what arecritical concepts in our faith. We need to findways to organize and edit the basic strands ofthought in Jewish philosophy, especially inmodern Jewish philosophy, into a coherentcurriculum that begins in middle school andinto short digestible articles that inspireShabbat table conversations.

Rabbi Lamm raised this issue years ago inhis essay Faith and Doubt: "Teaching theintellectual content of Judaism, hashkafa, in amanner relevant to the concerns of modernmen must assume a new role in Jewisheducation…. We live in an open, pluralisticand secularist society [with values that do notalways harmonize with halakha]. ModernOrthodox Judaism can no longer continue toignore this fact of life and act as if instructionin religious [practice] and education intalmudic law will, by themselves, keep thesecularist wolf at the door." After all, therabbis who compiled the Talmud did not

exclusively record the halakha, but filled itwith pages of aggada, rich with hashkafa andthe earliest precepts of Jewish philosophy. Yetaggada is almost entirely ignored in mostyeshiva day school Talmud curricula.

Rabbi Lamm continues: "Jewish religiousleadership must not fear [the] honestquestioning [that comes when we explorefaith]. In fact, we may consider ourselvesfortunate when we find the signs of doubt.When we find questioning, even of a hostilevariety, Judaism stands a chance. Doubtacknowledges implicitly a faith-affirmationwith which it is engaged." In other words, afrank discussion about faith, complete withchallenge, concerns, questions, and doubts, isin and of itself the positive experience ofbelief. As he cites in the words of the Hebrewpoet:

"I once thought my faith depends upon myreward, but now I know that my faith itself ismy reward."

It is only a through a serious investment inour faith that we will provide halakha with theplace of prominence and pride which says -this is my belief. Just as I am a proudAmerican, just as I am a proud Jew, I am alsoa proud observant Jew, and these, all these -secular and sacred, are my values. Theyconflict, and I struggle, but I believe in both attheir core.

A cup of water that is not kosher? Wellthat's something I'd like to discuss.

J

KJ was packed to the rafters for the June 28th Men’s Club screening of the criticallyacclaimed documentary film “The Last Jews of Libya” followed by remarks fromExecutive Director Aryeh Bourkoff. Shown here with Aryeh are film narrator IsabellaRossellini, Aryeh’s wife Elana Bourkoff and his mother, Vivienne Roumani-Denn.

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W I T H I N O U R FA M I LYBIRTHSMazal Tov to:

Randi and Zahi Ashkenazi upon the birth of theirfirst child, Jadyn Eliana. Mazel tov as well to theproud KJ grandparents Ira Gober and RachellMaidenbaum Gober.

Debra and Shlomo Baruch on the birth of their thirdchild, a daughter, Olivia Chloe.

Shani and Gavri Butler on the birth of their firstchild, a son, Isaac.

Alexandra and Vitor Cepelowicz upon the birth oftheir second child, a son.

Cantor Mayer and Rochelle Davis upon the birth oftheir first grandson, Joshua Elijah, born to theirchildren Daniel and Kate Davis of Riverdale. MazalTov as well to the proud KJ great - grandparents,Cantor Emeritus Avram and Esther Davis.

Barbara and Eric Eigen on the birth of theirgranddaughter, Violet Zahava, born to their childrenReina and Zev Eigen.

Jodi and Fabian Eliasson upon the birth of their firstchild, Anna Rebecca.

Drs. Penny and Roy Feldman on the birth of theirgranddaughter, Mina Zipporah, born to their childrenDrs. Jeannie and Noah Feldman.

Debbie and David Freedman upon the birth of twingirls, Ayelet Sara and Mia Sophie.

Helen & Elliot Freilich upon the birth of theirdaughter, Lily Rand (Leah Aidel Beileh).

Danielle and Jason Friedman on the birth of theirdaughter, Micole Amanda.

Rosie and Dr. Mark Friedman on the birth of agrandson, Moshe Simcha, born to their children Yaeland Pinchas Farkas of Far Rockaway.

Naamit Kurshan and Michael Gerber upon the birthof their first child, a daughter, Shira Leora. Mazal Tovas well to the proud KJ grandparents Francine andMorry Gerber.

Drs. Lori and Alon Gitig upon the birth of their firstchild, a son.

Dr. Carin and Eric Gribetz on the birth of theirsecond child and first son.

Karen and Meyer Gross upon the birth of theirgrandson, Harry Charal, born to their children DanaGross and Jeffrey Gandel.

Lynn and Irving Hershkowitz on the birth of agrandson, Cory, born to their children Cara and Lewis.

Kim and Larry Heyman, the children of Ronnie andSamuel Heyman, upon the birth of their first child, aboy. This is, thank God, the Heyman's fifth grandchildand first grandson.

Drs. Aviva and David Hiltzik upon the birth oftwins, Stella Rose and Nathan Alexander.

Marissa and Daniel Katz upon the birth of theirsecond child and daughter. Mazal Tov as well to theproud KJ grandparents, Evelyn and Greg Katz, and tothe proud KJ great-grandfather, Joseph Katz.

Tzivia and Shilo Kramer upon the birth of theirsecond child and son, Eliyahu. Mazal Tov as well tothe proud KJ grandparents, Rabbi Avraham and ZivaKramer.

Leslie and Michael Kule on the birth of twins,Elijah Jacob and Sarah Goody. Mazal Tov as well tothe proud KJ grandparents, Wilma and Stephen Kule.

Fran & Arnold Lederman on the birth of agranddaughter, Malka Naomi, born to their childrenMichael & Nancy Cohen of West Orange.

Sharon and Asher Levitsky upon the birth of twogranddaughters, Sophie Rae Levitsky, born to Amyand Joshua Levitsky, and Maya Markowitz, born toLily and Steve Markowitz.

Lori and Michael Mehler on the birth of theirsecond child and second son.

Barbara and Rabbi Mayer Moskowitz on the birthof a great-granddaughter, Odelia Bracha, born to theirgrandchildren Sari Moskowitz Holtz and MordecaiHoltz.

Gabrielle and Michael Muller on the birth of theirthird child, a son, Moses.

Danyelle and Joshua Neuman upon the birth oftheir second child, a daughter, Eden Dvorah.

Dr. Terry and Barbara Plasse upon the birth of twingrandsons born to their children Amital and JudyPlasse.

Monique and Andrew Rechtschaffen on the birth oftheir daughter, Ashley Miriam. Mazal tov as well tothe proud KJ grandparents, Rabbi Manfred and PamelaRechtschaffen and Dr. Julio and Perla Messer.

Lynn and Wolf Scheck on the birth of agranddaughter, Sophia Rose, born to their childrenLizzy Scheck and Max Calne.

Julie and Jonathan Schwartz on the birth of theirfirst child, a girl. Mazal tov as well to the proud KJgrandparents, Jonathan & Esther Messeloff.

Drs. Ora and Michael Singer on the birth of theirson, Jonas Nadav.

Randi and David Sultan upon the birth of theirsecond child and first son, Alexander Aaron.

Rachel and Dr. David Vorchheimer on the birth oftheir fourth child, a boy, Ethan Max.

May these children grow up in the finest tradition ofTorah, chupah, and maasim tovim.BNEI MITZVAHMazal Tov to:

Faye and Josh Deutsch on the Bar Mitzvah of theirgrandson, Benjamin Deutsch.

Eugenia and Mortimer Propp on the Bat Mitzvah oftheir granddaughter, Adrienne Margaret Propp.ENGAGEMENTSMazal Tov to:

Sandy & Dr. Robert April on the engagement oftheir daughter, Sara, to Joshua Koolyk, son of Adele &Judah Koolyk of Monsey.

Linda and Charles Fisch upon the engagement oftheir daughter, Zipporah, to Michael Neuman, son ofBarbara and Craig Neuman of Baltimore.

Dr. Mark and Rosie Friedman on the engagement oftheir son, Yoseph, to Rivkah Geller, daughter of thelate Jack Geller z"l and Judy and Marty Blachman ofJamaica Estates.

Rose Gerszberg upon the engagement of herdaughter, Naomi, to Benjy White.

Terry and Michael Jaspan upon the engagement oftheir son, Steven, to Deena Bloom, daughter of Oraand Ira Bloom of West Orange.

Jessica Joseph upon the engagement of herdaughter, Michaela, daughter of the late Jean-PaulJoseph, and stepdaughter of Mr. Leon Kroll, to DavidBiltekoff, son of Judi and Peter Biltekoff of Buffalo.

Gail and Carl Kanter upon the engagement of theirson, Aaron, to Andrea Bolten, daughter of Marsha andDavid Bolten of Philadelphia.

Drs. Barbara Kapelman and Larry Koblenz uponthe engagement of their son, Adam, to JessicaRainbow, daughter of Dr. Barrett Rainbow and the lateDr. Anne Zuckerman Rainbow of Skokie.

Evelyn and Greg Katz on the engagement of theirson, Philip, to Janie Weiner, daughter of Roberta andAlan Weiner of New City. Mazal Tov as well to theproud KJ grandfather, Joseph Katz.

Alexandra Jordan (Gavriella Adina) Pike, daughterof Susan Blinken and Dr. Sheldon Pike, and step

daughter of Robert Blinken Jr. and Janelle Pike, toMordechai Ephraim (Marc Eric) Lerner, son of Rocheland Dr. Sheldon Lerner of Woodmere.

Bonnie and Isaac Pollak on the engagement of theirson, Zamir, to Avital Herman of Melbourne.

Roberta and Dr. Michael Sigall on the engagementof their son, Jeremy, to Shayndi Raice, daughter ofPinchus and Deborah Raice-Fox of Monsey.May their weddings take place in happiness andblessing.MARRIAGESMazal tov to:

Alexander Crane upon his marriage to LaurenBaime of North Caldwell, NJ.

Raquel and E. Magnus Oppenheim on the marriageof their daughter, Michal, to Michael Simon, son ofDeborah and Leon Simon of London.

Ilona and Paul Oltuski on the marriage of theirdaughter, Alicia, to Uri Pasternak, son of Sue and JerryPasternak of Silver Spring.

Francine and David Perlman on the marriage oftheir son, Jason, to Christine Zawistowski.

Carol and Jesse Schwartz on the marriage of theirdaughter, Laura Beth, to Phillip Leo Konieczny, son ofMarleen and Kevin Konieczny of Denver.

Judy and Isaac Sherman on the marriage of theirgranddaughter, Jennifer Ingerman, daughter of Joanneand Jeff Ingerman, to Adam Yedlin, son of Bonnie andMark Yedlin.

COMMUNAL HONORSCongratulations to:

Miriam and Alan Goldberg who were honored byYeshiva University High Schools at their recent dinner.

Toby Gotesman Schneier on being Guest of Honorat the WIZO luncheon.

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTSCongratulations to:

Dr. Jenny Batlay who lectured on Albert Camus atBaruch College.

Marcelline Block, daughter of Jenny Batlay, whorecently published three articles on literary and filmtheories.

Roberta Caplan on becoming a Major Gifts Officerat The Albert Einstein College of Medicine of YeshivaUniversity.

Harlan Cohen, son of Hollace and Steven Cohen,who received an appointment as Professor ofInternational Law at the University of Georgia LawSchool.

Harriet Edleson on publishing her first book, “TheLittle Black Book of Washington, DC: The EssentialGuide to America's Capital.”

Dara Freed, daughter of KJ Member BernardCohen, on joining the American Democracy Instituteas their V.P. for Strategic Planning.

Ezra Dan Feldman, the son of Drs. Penny and RoyFeldman, on winning the Cornell University Prize forPoetry for 2007.

We are very proud to announce that our member, Dr. Ruth L. Gottesman, Professor Emerita ofPediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicineof Yeshiva University, was elected Chairperson of theMedical School’s Board of Overseers. Dr. Gottesmanis the first faculty member and first woman in theschool’s 52-year history to be named Chair of theBoard. Dr. Gottesman is the wife of David S.Gottesman who served with distinction as Chairman ofthe Board of Trustees of Yeshiva University. She isalso the mother of our members, Trudy and RobertGottesman. We wish Ruth Gottesman much successand satisfaction in her new leadership role.


W I T H I N O U R FA M I LYDr. Jonathan Javitt upon the publication of his

thriller novel, "Capitol Reflections," by Sterling &Ross. Illustrating the potentially deadly problemswith the safety of America's food supply, the book'srelease coincides with recent real-life revelationsabout toothpaste containing poison and pet-foodcontaminated with a chemical found in pesticides andplastics. Dr. Javitt, a physician who has long workedin the public-health arena and who has publishedmore than 200 scientific articles, has muchexperience in the area of food safety: He headed theHealth Subcommittee of the President's InformationTechnology Advisory Committee, and served as amember of the White House Health Reform TaskForce.

KJ Trustee Dr. Henry Kressel upon the publicationof his book "Competing for the Future: How DigitalInnovations Are Changing the World." Henry is aManaging Director of Warburg Pincus.

Daniele Gorlin Lassner and Jules Lassner, upontheir son Andy receiving his 6th Emmy Award as theExecutive Producer of The Ellen Degeneres Show.

W.W.II veteran Ben Milstein and wife Judy ontheir four IDF - serving grandsons.

Sue and Win Robins upon the swearing-in to theIsrael Defense Forces Paratroop Brigade of theirgrandson, Amichai Goldstein, son of Frannie andJackie Goldstein of Hashmonaim.

KJ Trustee Lee Snow upon being elected Presidentof the Estate Planning Council of New York City.

Dr. Rona Woldenberg on being inducted as aFellow in the American College of Radiology, one ofonly 11 women nationwide to receive this honor.

CONDOLENCESOur condolences to:

Anne Addison on the passing of her brother, AbeCleeman.

Eric Attias on the passing of his father, PinhasAttias.

Michael Bernstein on the passing of his mother,Gilda Bernstein.

Dan Bettinger on the passing of his mother, GloriaBettinger.

Dr. James Cleeman on the passing of his father,Abe Cleeman.

Randy Corwick on the passing of his mother,Rhoda Barbara Corwick.

Dr. Vicki Deutsch on the passing of her father, Dr.Maury Deutsch.

Ruth Fouzailoff on the passing of her father,Yaakov Baruch Cohen.

Dr. Carol Hess-Haber on the passing of her father,Lt. Col. (USAF, Ret.) William E. Hess.

Sarah Goldman on the passing of her brother,Robert Magids.

Dr. Glenn Goldfinger on the passing of his father,Henry Goldfinger.

Dr. Samuel Goldring on the passing of his father,Boruch Goldring.

Helene Hartig on the passing of her father, HarryWasserheit.

Bernard Lacher on the passing of his brother,Yehoshua Lacher.

Dr. Barry Libin on the passing of his mother, PaulaLibin, as well as on the passing of his sister, MargerySerkin.

Morris Massel on the passing of his mother,Matilda Massel.

Barbara Gerstel Moskowitz on the passing of hermother, Ray Frank.

Rabbi Mayer Moskowitz on the passing of hissister, Bluma Leibovich.

Alfred Ohebshalom on the passing of his father,Yousef Shalom Ohebshalom.

Dr. Terry Plasse on the passing of his mother,Sherley Plasse.

Harriet Radin on the passing of her mother,Dorothy Schweitzer.

Dr. Samuel Rapoport on the passing of his mother,Rose Rapoport.

Bernard Schwartz on the passing of his father,Morris Schwartz.

Steven Springer on the passing of his father,Charles Springer.

Seymour Zises on the passing of his mother, RuthZises.

Dr. Frederick Zuckerman on the passing of hisbrother, Dr. Matthew Zuckerman.

Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun also mourns thepassing of Frieda Goldsmith, widow of the late A.Phillip Goldsmith, who was a great KJ/Ramazcommunity builder.

May they be comforted among all those whomourn for Zion and Jerusalem.

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MILDRED AVNERTo us she was known as “Mitzi”, the

beloved wife of Jack Avner, of blessedmemory. The two of them formed themost dapper couple. Mitzi was a vibrant,exciting and dynamic woman, exquisitelygroomed, with a wonderful smile on herface and a twinkle in her eye.

She was a loving mother and awonderful and gracious member of herfamily. She loved KJ and, together withJack, they were both regular in theirattendance in shul and very active in all ofthe activities of the congregation.

GOODY DANEShe was the elegant matriarch of a

wonderful family, a loving and supportivewife to her late husband, Oscar, withwhom she partnered in all of hischaritable ventures. She was an adoringmother, grandmother and great-grandmother to a family that is precious tous at KJ and whose influence is felt

throughout the Jewish community.She was a grande dame, first in

Connecticut, then in Riverdale where sheand her husband founded a synagogue,and finally here at KJ where her daughtersand the rest of the family became leadersin the community.

CHARLES GUTTMANHe was taken from his family and

from us suddenly. A brilliant lawyer anda wonderful friend, he was the rock of hisfamily upon whom everybody depended.

He and Gilda had an idyllic marriage,and he absolutely adored his fourwonderful daughters, three of themRamaz Alumnae and one a currentstudent. They looked to him as the king ofthe family; dependable, wise, graciousand loving.

In shul he was a regular, quietly piousand a good friend of many. Without anyostentatiousness, he was a person of greatreligious principle and exceptional

generosity. His family grieves for himand his congregational family misses himgreatly.

VIVIANE PARISShe grew up here as the daughter of

our past President, the late NathanSalzman, and was the apple of his eye:He absolutely adored her. She saw herdaughter, Nicole, educated in Ramaz andmaintain lifelong friendships withmembers of her class.

In recent years, she rejoined thecongregation of her youth and became asource of support for the community.

In Memoriam

Memorialize Loved OnesMount Memorial Plaques In The

Main SynagogueCost Per Plaque: $1,000

Call 212-774-5680 or [email protected]

Page 24 KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETINNon-Profit

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KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETINCongregation Kehilath Jeshurun

125 East 85th Street, New York, NY 10028212-774-5600

Synagogue OfficialsDr. Haskel Lookstein . . . . . . . . . . . .RabbiMeir Soloveichik . . . . . . .Associate RabbiElimelech Weinstock . . . .Associate RabbiHillel Rapp . . . . . . . . . . . .Assistant RabbiDavid Flatto . . . . . . . . . .Rabbinic ScholarAvram Davis . . . . . . . . . .Cantor EmeritusMayer Davis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CantorLeonard Silverman . . .Executive Director

Officers of the CongregationEric Feldstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PresidentSurie Sugarman . . . . . . . . . .Vice PresidentRobert Kurzweil . . . . .2nd Vice PresidentElias Buchwald . . . . . . .3rd Vice PresidentJacob Doft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SecretaryJoel Katz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TreasurerDavid Lobel . . . . . . . .Assistant TreasurerDr. Diana Friedman . .Financial SecretaryRiva Alper . . . . . . . . .Recording Secretary

Past PresidentsBenjamin Brown Fred Distenfeld

Chaim EdelsteinSamuel Eisenstat Stanley Gurewitsch

Affiliate PresidentsSusan Blinken . . . . . . . . .Pres. SisterhoodDr. Mark Meirowitz . . . .Pres. Men’s ClubSherri Libin . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pres. KesherErica Schwartz . . . . . . . . . . .Pres. KesherJilly Wieder . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pres. Kesher

Office StaffFlorence Cohen

Sara FillerArona Schneider

Alexis Berkowitz . . . . . . . . .Social WorkerEva Erlich . . . . . . .Director of OperationsHattie Murphy . . . . . . . . . . . . .ComptrollerEytan Zadoff . . . . . . . . . . . .Youth DirectorRudy Arjune . . . . . . . . . . . .Superintendent

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SHABBAT SCHEDULE Friday Saturday

Lighting Evening Afternoon Sabbathof Candles Services Services Ends

July6-7 Pinhas 8:12 PM 6:45 PM 8:10 PM 9:13 PM13-14 Mattot-Masei 8:09 PM 6:45 PM 8:05 PM 9:10 PM20-21 Devarim 8:05 PM 6:45 PM 8:00 PM 9:04 PM28-29 Vaetchanan 7:59 PM 6:45 PM 7:50 PM 8:57 PM

August3-4 Eikev 7:52 PM 6:45 PM 7:45 PM 8:49 PM10-11 Re’Eh 7:43 PM 6:45 PM 7:35 PM 8:38 PM17-18 Shoftim 7:34 PM 6:45 PM 7:25 PM 8:28 PM24-25 Ki Tetze 7:23 PM 6:45 PM 7:10 PM 8:17 PM31-1 Ki Tavo 7:12 PM 6:45 PM 7:05 PM 8:06 PM

September7-8 Nitzavim-Vayelech 7:01 PM 6:45 PM 6:50 PM 7:54 PM14-15 Haazinu 6:49 PM 6:45 PM 6:40 PM 7:42 PM

SCHEDULE OF SERVICESWeekday mornings…………..7:30 AM Sunday mornings……………..8:30 AMMondays and Thursdays……..7:15 AM Rosh Chodesh Weekdays…….7:00 AM

Shabbat mornings…………….9:00 AMEVENING SERVICES

DATES TO REMEMBER

KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETINCongregation KehilathJeshurun

125 East 85thStreetNew York, NY10028-0928

Monday, July 16Rosh Chodesh AvMorning Services at 7:00 AMMonday-Tuesday, July 23-24Fast of Tisha B’AvMonday Night Services at 8:10 PMFast Begins at 8:20 PMTuesday Morning Services at 7:00 AMTuesday Night Services at 7:55 PMFast ends at 8:58 PM

Tuesday-Wednesday, August 14-15Rosh Chodesh ElulMorning Services at 7:00 AMThursday-Friday, September 13-14Rosh HashanahFriday-Saturday, September 14-15Shabbat ShuvahSunday, September 16Fast of Gedaliah

Are you receiving your KJBulletin late in the mail? Are you receiving double copies of the Bulletin?Weneedtoknow!Please e-mail [email protected] or call 212-774-5670.

July 15 -September 12............. 6:45 PM

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TO KJ MEMBERS (Excluding Sale Items)Prompt Delivery In preparing the Bulletin, we welcome all

KJ members’ announcements of communal, academic and professional achievements. Please e-mail [email protected] or mail it to the synagogue, marked “ATTN: KJ Bulletin”

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